


The Cola to my Poneglyph

by Ihavepowers



Category: One Piece
Genre: Children of Characters, F/M, Fluff, Minor Original Character(s), Mugiwara no Ichimi | Straw Hat Pirates As Family, One Piece Manga Spoilers, One Shot, One Shot Collection, Original Nico Robin/Franky Child(ren), Other Characters Are Mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:33:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 25,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25044688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ihavepowers/pseuds/Ihavepowers
Summary: A collection of short stories centered around the relationship between Robin and Franky without any overarching plot. Not all stories will feature the two in a romantic relationship, but most will.
Relationships: Franky/Nico Robin
Comments: 26
Kudos: 58





	1. Soulmate, Commemoration, Sunshine, Bodyguard, and Fireworks

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: One Piece and its characters are written by Eiichiro Oda and publicized by Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. I do not take ownership of anything contained in this story.
> 
> Another Note: These stories don't necessarily take place in any chronological order. Events can happen anywhere from Franky joining after Water 7, all the way up to current events in the story. If a segment does not state where in the story it takes place, just assume it is sometime during the post timeskip part of One Piece.

* * *

_SOULMATE_

* * *

“Well, what are you waiting for, silly? Open it!”

“Now? Shouldn’t I open it in front of the others? I’m sure they would like to see what it is too.”

“You’re too patient, Nico Robin!” Franky said as he took a seat on the bed, right next to her. “Besides, I told them all about it before I even wrapped it! They already know what’s in it!”

“Oh my, you must have gone all out with this then, haven’t you?”

The Straw Hat Pirates were currently out in the middle of the ocean, sailing through the New World during a break between their adventures. The weather, in terms of how the weather in the New World normally behaves, was relatively calm. This allowed the Straw Hats some time to unwind and relax. Currently, Sanji was preparing dinner in the kitchen while Brook was seated on the swing of the ships desk, writing a song that was likely about one of his favorite things: tea, the ocean, friendship, or woman’s panties.

Nami was at the helm, keeping an eye on the ocean current while Zoro napped against the side of the deck. While it was nearly impossible to tell where Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper could be at this time of day, one could safely assume that the trio were playing a game somewhere on the Thousand Sunny.

Lastly, Robin and Franky were in the woman’s quarters, with Robin holding a small present in her lap.

The archeologist grabbed the red ribbon that was tied on top of the box, releasing it with a tight pull. She then opened the box to reveal its contents.

Franky nudged her shoulder, wiggling his eyebrows in anticipation, “Well… what do you think?”

She paused for a moment, choosing to smile thankfully as she lifted the Hawaiian shirt up to get a full look at it. It was a vibrant purple color. Decorating the shirt was an array of yellow flowers, which Robin recalled to be sunflowers.

“It’s lovely. Thank you, Franky.” She said after a brief examination of the gift. “But don’t you think this is a little more… your style?”

“Exactly! What’s more fun than couples who wear matching outfits? NOTHING! That’s what!” He said, standing up and puffing out his chest to show off the signature Hawaiian shirt that he was proudly wearing.

“Ah, of course.” replied Robin. She also stood up, grabbing the now empty box to set it on the nightstand while she took another moment to examine the present she was given.

It had been a long time since she was given a present, and even when she was given something, it was usually just a sun hat or a pair of sunglasses that was given to her by someone who clearly only gave her a gift out of obligation or thanks for the work that she assisted them with. Never before had she received a gift that had as much thought put behind it as this one. Even if the thought behind it was simply it pairing well with the many, MANY shirts that Franky currently owned.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” The cyborg asked, moving himself in front of the woman, “Let’s see you put it on! I promised the others that I would have you model it during dinner!”

Robin shook her head and chuckled, she could never get tired of Franky’s pride when it came to showing things off; whether it be his latest inventions or the successfully chosen present he got for his girlfriend. She gave the shirt to Franky, turning around and allowing him to slip it through her arms and over her shoulders. Currently, she was just wearing a black midriff top and a pair of denim shorts, so the purple Hawaiian shirt should actually pair quite nicely with her current attire. Once Franky helped her put the shirt on, she turned back around to face him.

“Should I button it, or leave it open like you usually do?” Robin asked.

Franky put an iron finger to his chin, tapping it a couple of times in thought, “I vote to leave it open, but it’s your call!”

“Open it is then” She replied, leaning up to give him a quick peck on the lips. She walked over to the full length mirror propped against the wall, taking a moment to examine her appearance. As far as Robin could recall, this would be the first shirt of this style she had ever worn.

“You know what I think, Nico Robin?” Asked the cyborg as he moved to stand behind her, holding her hips and placing his chin on the top of her head.

“Do tell.”

“I think you look super.”

"You say that everyday, Franky."

"Well... you look super everyday! I can’t help what I see."

She laughed at his response as two stood there for a moment, staring at their reflection. Robin thought about her life up to this point. Her past was something she didn’t look at with lament anymore. She now felt that it was merely just a rough chapter she would reminisce about during her present journey. The life she used to curse being given was now a life that only the luckiest could say they get to experience. Not everyone could claim they got to sail the seas with eight of the most inspiring and wonderful people on the planet. She also counted herself lucky that her soulmate was one of the ones she was on this adventure with. None could make her smile quite like Franky did and none could make her sigh in outwards annoyance yet inner joy the way her soulmate Franky quite often did. Before Robin met Franky and the rest of her crew, she used to scoff at that the word.

‘soulmate’.

To her, it used to be a word that blind, foolish people used to make meaning out of a random encounter with someone they had a romantic attraction to. Robin used to think that if she ever were to find a ‘soulmate’, it would be purely out of a desire for security and protection, never for love.

Oh, how thankful Robin was that she was wrong. Nowadays, the word took a different meaning. To her, the word soulmate means a person who she would willingly give her soul, her life, for. It meant she treasured that persons life as if it were their own. Robin felt that from the moment the two met, their lives were destined to follow the same path.

The peaceful moment between the two was interrupted by the voice of their cook, calling out across the ship that the garlic butter tilapia he was cooking for dinner had finally been done and ready to be eaten.

“We’d better get going, I need to make sure I get a full plate before Luffy has it his way.” Robin said, lifting her hand over Franky’s to give it a gentle squeeze. Their eyes were fixed on each other’s through the glass mirror.

He hummed in response, giving the top of her head a quick kiss before stepping back.

The two exited out of the woman’s quarters, witnessing Usopp and Chopper scampering to keep up with Luffy, who was already halfway across the lawn moving towards the kitchen.

As Franky reached to open the handle to the kitchen door, he turned around to face Robin.

“Hey, Robin…”

“Yes?”

He grinned, giving her a thumbs up.

“Happy birthday!”

* * *

_COMMEMORATION_

* * *

Robin was seated on the deck of the Thousand Sunny, reading through the newspaper which was just dropped off by a news coo. She chose to keep watch on the ship while the rest of the crew went out to go shopping on the island they stopped at. She flipped through the pages of the newspaper, scanning through the various stories. Most of the time, the newspaper articles were just government propaganda mixed with the occasional bounty poster, but Robin still took it upon herself to read every paper she got, just to stay updated on current events.

Today’s newspaper, however, was quick to grab the woman’s attention.

_“A KINGDOM RESTORED: TODAY MARKS THE DAY THAT ALABASTA HAS FINISHED RECONSTRUCTION AFTER THE TYRNANNY OF FORMER SHICHIBUKAI CROCODILE”_

Nico Robin read that title over and over again for many minutes. It had already been about five or six months since the incident at Alabasta. The crew had already left that island behind and were well on their way to the Sabaody Archipelago. Her previous life as Miss All Sunday was something that the crew chose not to talk about, mainly out of forgiveness for Nico Robin. Of course, they didn’t really have to forgive her for anything, so it only made sense that everything was okay, right?

Yet everytime Nico Robin thought of the Princess of Alabasta, she felt guilt coiling throughout her stomach.

It’s not to say that Robin thought about Nefertari Vivi all the time, but it was hard not to think of the girl when the rest of the Straw Hats still held her so close to her heart. The girl in question was featured in a photo that accompanied the news article. Robin took note of her smile, she looked happy; she looked content.

It was an unanimous decision amongst the crew that once they finished their voyage and Luffy became the Pirate King, they would make a return trip to Alabasta and share their stories with the crew member who they had to leave behind. Robin occasionally felt nervous about officially meeting the girl not as Miss All Sunday, but as who she really was; Nico Robin. The reassurance of the Straw Hats who were present in Alabasta concluded that Vivi would never hold any ill feelings towards Robin once they meet in person. Still, the archeologist couldn’t help but feel bad for the part she played in bringing Vivi’s country to near ruin. The fact that Alabasta had finished repairing all of the damages of Baroque Works was a relieving fact, but also something that turned Robin’s mood a bit solemn due to the reminder of the part she played in the event.

“HEY! ROBIN! CHECK IT OUT!”

Robin looked up to see her captain bounding towards her, with Chopper and Franky in tow.

All of them had tattoos covering their face and body.

Luffy skidded to a halt besides the woman, crouching down to her eye level and pointing a finger at the tattoo on his left cheek. “Look here Robin! Franky says that this bird is called a robin! I’ve got you on my cheek! Shishishishi!”

Sure enough, the small black and orange bird tattoo on the boy’s face was that of a robin. Robin (the human, not the bird) almost would laugh at the sight if not for the fact that she was a little baffled by the ten or so other tattoos that marked up various places on the boy’s body. Due to the vibrant colors of said art as well as the fact that Chopper (an underaged reindeer) had tattoos as well, Robin concluded that these weren’t actual ink tattoos, but merely rubbed on fakes.

By now, Chopper and Franky had caught up to the excitable boy and were also showing off some of their favorite tattoos. Chopper took particular pride in the ice cream cone that was covering his belly. Meanwhile, Franky took a moment to flex his right bicep, showing off his muscles as well as the various sea turtles that decorated his arm.

Robin took a moment to smile at the younger two boys and comment on how nice they looked with animals and various food products decorating their body, but ultimately turned to look at Franky with a relatively stern look.

“Franky, these temporary tattoos are fine and all,” she folded up the newspaper, placing it at her side, “But this seems like a lot. I don’t want the boys to get influenced into getting REAL tattoos. Too many tattoos will make for a tasteless look. Besides, I can’t imagine Nami is going to be very happy to hear you spent so much of your allowance on tattoos.”

Franky waved his arms in front of his face defensively, “Hey now, Nico Robin, tattoos are cool, even if they are fake and even if you have too many of them! And this was Usopp’s idea! Not mine! ” He retorted, referencing the sniper who was likely still off somewhere decorating every inch of his body with the fake tattoos.

“And I doubt Nami will throw a fit about this! She’s got a real tattoo herself! How mad could she possibly get?” Added the stubborn cyborg.

Robin sighed in response, choosing not to start an argument with the shipwright over something that would fade away with warm water and 7-8 days of patience.

Chopper had since skipped away from the group to go show off his temporary tattoos to Brook, who excitedly claimed he couldn’t wait to mark his own skin with these colorful drawings. To no one’s surprise, the musician quickly remembered that the last of his skin had shriveled off his body ages ago, so there was no way he could possibly get a tattoo. Meanwhile, Luffy had taken notice of the newspaper by Robin’s side and quickly swiped it into his hands, recognizing the photo of a certain girl on the back page.

“Hey! It’s Vivi!”

By the time Robin realized her newspaper was snatched by the captain, he had already begun calling out to everyone to come take a look at the news article about Alabasta’s restoration.

Franky stood behind Luffy, glancing over his shoulder to take a peek at what he was talking about. “Holy moly! Look at her hair! It’s almost as blue as mine! Say, Luffy, this little friend of yours… has she ever mentioned anything about a long-lost older brother who just so happened to be a cyborg?”

Before Robin could explain that even if Franky and Vivi were related she could never know about Franky’s cyborg modifications, Luffy took note of Robin’s gloomy mood.

“Hey... Something’s bother you.” He stated bluntly, staring into Robin’s eyes with a stern, yet worrying look.

She caught her breath. If there was one thing Robin knew about Luffy, after months of being on his crew, it’s that he was a master at reading the emotions of others. She put a reassuring arm on his shoulder and smiled gently.

“I’m relieved Alabasta is rebuilt into what it formerly was, it’s just…” She couldn’t quite find the words to explain what she was feeling, she just stared silently at Luffy and then at Franky. Neither of them said anything, but they understood that the situation was still a little awkward for her.

By now, the rest of the crew had come to see what Luffy had call them for. The boy quickly forgot about what he was talking about and joined the rest of the crew to read out the article about Alabasta (occasionally asking Nami to help him pronounce some of the larger words).

Meanwhile, Franky knelt down beside Robin.

“Hey, listen…” He said, scratching at the taco tattoo on his forehead as he tried to come up with the right words. “I know I don’t need to tell you this- because the others have said so plenty of times already, but this Vivi girl won’t hold anything against you. I know I’ve never met her, but I can only imagine she is a really great girl if the others hold so much admiration for her. Hell, even Zoro talks about her like she’s a sister. And… I mean… it’s not like you need to go down on your knees and apologize for everything that happened. Hell, you don’t need to say anything at all! Saying nothing is what you do best!”

He paused to rub the back of his head, realizing maybe that wasn’t the best choice of words.

“Listen, Nico Robin. What happened in Alabasta isn’t on you. NONE of that was your fault. That damn Crocodile-bastard is the one to blame.” Franky felt like he could go on forever, firing words at the woman in hope of easing at least a little of her worries.

She stared at him for a moment, fixing her eyes on his own, then to the dinosaur tattoo on his right cheek, and then back to his eyes. As strange as Franky’s antics might be, he could still turn on that mature, fatherly side of himself in a flash; almost as if he built a switch somewhere in his body that could change him from pervert mode to sensible mode.

Robin chose to do what she does best; not say anything at all. She just stood up, gave Franky’s shoulder a gentle squeeze as a thank you, then went over to help Luffy pronounce the word ‘commemoration’.

* * *

_SUNSHINE_

* * *

Franky opened his eyes to a ray of sunshine so bright it took a moment for his eyes to adjust. He jerked his head up, realizing he must of fell asleep last night during the party the Straw Hats had. They had just finished fending off a couple Marine battle ships that caught up to the Thousand Sunny. The battle was long, but thankfully the crew got out of it with only a few minor injuries. As Zoro always says (to Chopper’s disapproval), booze can heal any battle wound, so soon after the Marines fled with their tails between their legs, Sanji decided to bring out the alcohol and cola so the Straw Hat’s could throw a little celebration for yet another successful escape from the clutches of the Marines. Franky couldn’t quite recall all of the events that took place the night before, but from the sake and cola bottles that were littered around his feet, he could only assume the party was nothing short of SUPER.

Franky went to sit up from the bench he was resting on, but quickly realized he had the head of a certain archeologist resting on his broad, metallic shoulder. She was still clearly asleep, the sounds of her breathing could go almost undetectable if you didn’t pay close attention.

Franky smiled down at the woman, deciding that maybe a couple more moments of rest wouldn’t be too bad for now.

A couple of hours later, Sanji would come out of the men’s quarters to clean up and prepare breakfast. He immediately took witness of his Robin-Chan resting with her cyborg-lover. At that moment, Sanji felt slight respect for the man, but mostly felt unwavering jealousy and sorrow.

A couple of weeks later, Franky would apologize for stealing one of Sanji’s girls by installing the most expensive oven he could find in the kitchen.

* * *

_BODYGUARD_

* * *

Franky stood nervously outside of the infirmary. He felt guilty, he felt stupid, he should have known that man was a bounty hunter the moment he laid eyes on him. Robin knew he was, Robin ALWAYS knows EVERYTHING and of course Robin always knows because she has had to worry about bounty hunters coming for her for the past twenty years of her life and Franky was just too invested into what that creepy man was saying to notice his true intentions and why he had randomly found himself coming up to the duo when they were in the middle of the woods.

Franky rubbed his forehead, telling himself, “Just be thankful it ended the way it did, be thankful she was there.”

Just a short hour ago, Robin and Franky were taking a stroll through the woods, not far away from the village the crew was stopped at. A townsperson mentioned something about some worn down temple deep in the woods, which instantly peeked Robin’s curiosity. She told the crew she was going to head out to take a look, and Franky immediately took it upon himself to follow her as a “bodyguard”.

“Some bodyguard you are…” Franky muttered to himself.

The two were wandering through the woods for quite some time, neither saying anything but both enjoying the view of an endless thicket of trees with the occasional wild squirrel scurrying past. It didn’t take long for a strange man wearing a long coat to come jogging up to the two, introducing himself as a guide who escorts tourists to the ruins. While the man went on about facts that were mostly likely random lies in retrospect, Franky did most of the talking during the walk while Robin stayed silent, occasionally averting her eyes to their nearby surroundings.

For most of the walk, Franky remained completely unaware of anything suspicious about the man, at one point even turning to Robin to ask why she wasn’t more involved about the information they were being told about the architecture.

Franky was caught completely off guard when their “guide” stopped in his tracks, turning towards the cyborg with a wicked grin.

“NOW!” The man hollered out loud, whipping out a knife from a hidden sheath in his leg and taking a swipe at the shipwright. 

“The hell!?” Franky yelled, quickly jumping back to avoid the attack. The man went for a second strike, but Franky was faster and much more prepared. He quickly grabbed the man’s arm, apprehending his attack and used his free hand to punch him in the side of the head to knock him unconscious.

“Tsk,” Franky scoffed, turing his attention towards Robin, “As if I’d ever-“

“Seis Fleur!”

Franky heard a gasp of surprise right behind his neck, he whipped his head around, seeing a second man with a blade just a few inches from Franky’s back. The arm with the knife this attacker was using was being held back by two arms reaching from his torso. Four other arms formed out of the ground underneath him to restrain his legs.

Before Franky could give this new attacker his due justice, the assailant used his other hand to reach into his pocket, producing a small switch blade that he stabbed into one of the arms that was holding onto him.

Robin cried out in pain but kept her hold on the attacker. Franky cursed out loud upon seeing the arm that was now bleeding severely. He pulled back his right fist to quickly take down the cloaked man, but before he could deliver his attack, a seventh, much larger arm, sprouted out from directly underneath the man, grabbing him and lifting him high into the air.

The man screamed as his body was lifted up by Robin’s ability. He let go of the blades he was holding due to the force of being lifted several feet above ground. Before he could beg to be let go, Robin used all of her might to whip him around and slam his body directly into a tree.

As the large arm faded into a burst of pink petals, the man’s body slid unconsciously onto the ground, he wouldn’t be getting up for a while.

Franky caught his breath, looking around to make sure there were no more attackers before facing the devil fruit user.

“Good job! You showed that bastard-“ Franky stopped abruptly upon witnessing the sight of Robin wincing in pain, clutching her bloody left arm.

The next few moments were a blur to Franky. All he could recall was ripping the right sleeve off of his shirt to wrap around the wound, picking Nico Robin up in his arms, and sprinting back towards the Thousand Sunny.

Back in the present, Franky cursed out loud as he played that scene over and over again in his head. The second that infirmary door opens, he would apologize five-thousand times over before forgiving himself for being careless and allowing Robin to get wounded like that.

As if on cue, the door was opened by the small reindeer doctor. The archeologist followed behind him, her arm wrapped in gauze.

“It’s not as deep as it looks, it didn’t even come close to reaching her bones.” Chopper said as the two walked outside. The rest of the crew weren’t even back on the ship yet, they had yet to hear about the incident and were likely still out shopping or eating.

Franky breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that the damage was minimal. “Robin… I...”

The woman lifted up a hand (the hand not connected to her wounded arm). “Franky… don’t blame yourself for that. That man was purposely trying to lower our guard.”

“You didn’t fall for it though, you knew something was up the minute he approached us, didn't you?"

“I think you're more worried about this than I am, Franky.” She sighed, taking a step towards the cyborg. “I’m more upset that we were interrupted before we could take a look at those ruins. I was curious about what we would find.”

Franky stared blankly for a second, then let out a quick chuckle. Only Nico Robin would be upset about the missed opportunity to explore some old dusty ruins.

“Ah yes… this is yours.” She said, giving him a torn up, bloody piece of cloth that used to belong to the sleeve of his shirt.

At that moment, Franky remembered he was currently rocking a one-sleeved Hawaiian shirt. He grabbed the torn cloth, making a mental note to toss this shirt away later.

“I’ll tell you what…” Franky said after a moment of silence, “I have some maintenance to do around the ship tonight, but since we were planning on docking here for the night anyway, how about we pick up where we left off tomorrow morning? We should have plenty of time to check out the ruins before we set sail. Does that sound okay?”

Robin’s smile grew brightly, “That sounds wonderful, I’m looking forward to it!”

“I’m coming too!” Chopper yelled out, growing from his tiny brain point form into his larger heavy point form, “You guys will need me as a bodyguard to make sure no more crooks come around to try and take you guys on!” Chopper puffed out his chest, making an aggressive face to show just how ready he was to protect his friends.

Robin (who knew that she would be fine going by herself) smiled as her two bodyguards gave each other a fist bump.

* * *

_FIREWORKS_

* * *

Robin climbed down the ladder into Franky’s workroom. She used her powers to grow two extra arms from her shoulders, carrying one cup of coffee and one bottle of cola.

_Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist._

Robin stood beside the cyborg, who was currently in the middle of tightening a screw onto some cylinder-shaped object. She set the cola bottle down on a nearby table and pulled up a chair, taking a seat while she sipped on her morning coffee.

Franky said nothing. Robin began to wonder if the man even noticed she was there.

_Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist._

“Hi.” She said after a minute that felt more like an hour.

The cyborg stopped, glancing over at the woman and giving her a smile.

“Hello!”

_Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist._

Robin leaned forward, trying to get a closer look at what Franky was doing. She noticed a box filled with similarly shaped devices on the other side of the man.

“Franky, I brought you some cola.”

He looked up at the bottle, nodding his head upon seeing it.

“Oh... Thank you! I was just thinking I could use cola right now.”

_Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist._

Robin stared at the man silently, taking the occasional sip of her drink.

_Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist._

_Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist._

_Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist._

“Franky… you do know it’s three in the morning, right?”

Franky stopped tightening the bolt on his device, blinking some sleepiness out of his eyes that he suddenly noticed was there, “Oh… it is? I haven’t been keeping track of the time.”

“I can tell…” Robin thought to herself.

After a couple more minutes of Franky tightening the screws on these devices, Robin gave up on playing the patience game with him.

“May I ask what you’re making?”

He stopped what he was doing, setting the device on the ground and turning towards the woman.

“These are fireworks. The boys were saying how it’s been a while since they’ve seen a firework show, I figured I would make some to set off tonight.”

Robin furrowed her brow, taking another look at the contraptions.

“These… don’t look like fireworks.”

Franky grinned happily. “I know right? These are my Super Franky Fireworks! They don’t look like fireworks but they are! I’m gonna set them out on the deck tonight during the party! Everyone is gonna be all like ‘Franky? What are these?’ and I’m gonna be all like ‘FIREWORKS!’ and then I’m going to set them off and it’s going to be a super fun show and everyone is going to love it!” He said enthusiastically.

"I see..." Robin replied, sipping her coffee.

“Not to mention, these are powered by cola, not dynamite, so we don’t need to worry about setting the Sunny on fire!”

Franky grabbed the cola Robin gave him then opened up a compartment on one of his Super Franky Fireworks to dump the liquid inside.

Robin nodded her head, it had been a while since she herself has witnessed a fireworks display. She was looking forward to it.

She stood up, taking her now finished cup of coffee and preparing to climb back up the ladder. “If that’s the case, I’ll leave you to it, I’m excited for the party tonight. But Franky, please make sure you get some rest, you’ll be the man of the hour after all.”

Franky turned to look back to the woman, smiling brightly. “No need to worry, Nico Robin!”

_Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist. Twist._

As Robin reached to climb up the ladder, she turned around, facing Franky.

“Hey Franky…”

“Yeah?”

She grinned, walking over to him to throw her arms around his shoulders, giving him a peck on his cheek and whispering into his ear:

“Happy birthday.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed! If you like what you read please feel free to leave a comment or kudos, I appreciate all feedback.


	2. Reunion, The Sea, and Dynamics

* * *

_REUNION_

* * *

The first thing Franky did upon reuniting with the Thousand Sunny was apologize.

“Sunny…” The cyborg mumbled, tracing his large palm across the side of deck. Rayleigh would still have to coat her so that they could dive underwater; but Franky told the man he wanted some time to catch up with his creation before she was coated.

The Sunny didn’t have a scratch on her. In fact, Franky would go as far as to say she looked as good as the day they first set sail together back in Water 7. The mast and hull showed no signs of being shot at by cannonballs, the figurehead was as smiley and lionlike as ever, and the Straw Hat jolly roger looked especially crisp and fresh. The Thousand Sunny was ready to move again after two years of sitting around, waiting for its crew to come home.

“I’m back, I’m sorry you’ve been alone so long.” Franky said.

He took a quick look in every room. He checked the kitchen, making sure Sanji’s cooking utensils were all accounted for and in their proper place. He checked the library, knowing that the vibrant sea life that once was stored in the tank would have died off long ago, but making sure the bookshelves were as full as they should be. His workroom, as well as Usopp’s factory and Chopper’s infirmary, were stocked well with tools and medical supplies respectively. He ran the water on all of the faucets, as well as the toilet and the shower to make sure the pipes were still working after two years without use.

When he stepped inside the men’s quarters, it looked like a tornado had swept through the room.

Unlike the other rooms, somebody clearly didn’t bother cleaning up this room for the Straw Hats. Whether that be out of respect for their privacy or fear out of how long it would take to clean everything up, Franky wasn’t sure. There was not a single bed that was properly made, blankets could be found from the foot of one bed to even one that made its way to the couch. Dirty laundry was layed out all across the floor. A majority of it was Luffy’s vests, but Franky could see plenty of Zoro’s robes and Chopper’s trousers lost in the mess as well.

Overall, the room looked just the way it should look.

Regardless, Franky went ahead and cleaned up his share. He made his bed and propped up his pillows, folded up all of his laundry and threw it in the washing machine, and he grabbed a towel and spray bottle to take care of the dust that had accumulated on the table and sofa. There was no way in hell he was going to clean up the entire room, the rest of the boys could do that, so he left it at that for now. However, there was still one room Franky had yet to inspect.

Besides from when he built the room, Franky had only been in the girl’s quarters on rare occasions. Once, Nami found a seagull that had made its way in when she accidentally left the door open, so the navigator ran around the ship screaming bloody murder. Franky was the first unfortunate soul she found, so she forced him to “take care of” the dirty bird by whatever means necessary. Franky, taking pity on the poor aviary, just led it out with some breadcrumbs until it got onto the deck and was able to see itself out. There was another time when the two ladies of the Straw Hat Pirates complained that the bed would creak a lot at night, so they had Franky take a look at the mattress and bed frame. It turned out that one of the legs had a bolt that wasn’t screwed in well enough, so Franky went ahead and fixed that problem then saw himself out immediately after.

Besides those occasional visits into the room, the girl’s quarters were still quite foreign to Franky. Franky felt pretty hesitant to just barge in there, but he had a duty to make sure every nook and cranny of the Sunny was in good condition before they asked her to set sail once more, so he gave a push on the doorknob and let himself in.

Unlike the boy’s room, this room looked like there was a maid coming in once a week to clean. Aside from the dust that covered the chairs and dressers, the room remained properly polished since it’s last use two years ago. At first, Franky felt a little awkward standing in the room by himself. He could already hear Nami’s voice in the back of his head, calling him a pervert (not that he would mind, in fact, he would appreciate it) while Robin gave him a stern: ‘I’m not mad, just disappointed’ glare.

_Robin._

Franky closed his eyes and took a deep breath. To say he missed his crew would be putting it lightly. The month leading up to the Straw Hat Pirates reunion was the greatest, and longest, month Franky had had in a long time. But of all his crewmates, his family, there was always that one woman his mind would go to during the nights he felt the most alone in the world.

He missed Robin’s smile. He missed the way she would always say good morning to him and how, even though her eyes were still adjusting to waking up, they still held that sincerity and intelligence they always had. He missed her laugh. He missed those rare occasions where she would bend over and clutch her stomach, letting out a real good laughter after witnessing an especially comedic scene from one of the boys. He missed her smell. He knew Chopper would be the one who missed the smells of the Straw Hat Pirates the most, but the cyborg almost couldn’t recall the smell of flowers and coffee that lingered in the air whenever she walked past him. Overall, Franky missed the woman who had found herself when she found a home in the form of this pirate crew.

Franky took one last look around the room before seeing himself out.

it was about time he went off to find Rayleigh and have him do that coating on the ship.

* * *

_THE SEA_

* * *

Robin always loved the sea.

Despite the fact that she would drown if she were to set foot in it, she still admired the endless mass of water. After all, there were many years in her life where she had no choice but to call the ocean her home.

She loved looking out at the sea. She liked putting down her book after a good stopping point and letting her thoughts carry her freely as she stared out at the ocean.

She loved the smell. It was salty and hot, but it was inviting too. It told Robin that no matter how many people sailed across the water, there would still be room for her on the ocean too.

She loved the sound. The waves that crashed against the Thousand Sunny were waves that reminded Robin she was one stride closer to finding the Rio Poneglyph.

So when Franky approached her, asking her if she would like to sit with him on the shoreline of the island they were docked at, she agreed without hesitation.

She loved looking at Franky in the sea. Whether he got up from his spot on the sand to have a swimming race with Usopp, or whether he was letting the water rise up and dance through his toes; Robin thought that Franky and the sea paired well together.

She loved the smell of Franky when it mixed with the ocean breeze. Until that point, she never would have guessed that the smell of cola, metal, and salt water would actually make for a soothing aroma.

She loved the sounds Franky made when he was at sea. When he cackled as the waves swallowed his large body, when he whistled a tune as the sound of the waves provided a backup chorus, and when he snored gently beside her, laying out on the sand right as the sun casted an orange glow on the horizon of the sea, Robin’s ears had plenty to listen to.

Robin came to realize that the thing she loved most about the sea was that it brought her to Franky. And in turn, Franky brings her out to the sea.

* * *

_DYNAMICS_

* * *

He may not show it, but Luffy was very observant, especially with his crew.

In particular, he noticed certain dynamics amongst the crew that played out well together. Of course, he knew that everyone loved each other in this crew pretty damn equally, but there were certain times when Luffy noticed specific personalities playing well off of each other.

Take Zoro and Sanji, for example. The two were pretty intense rivals under normal circumstances. They would bicker about the tiniest things and then give up on their argument five minutes later because they found something new to argue about. Regardless of how the two treated each other, there was still a certain level of respect they had for one another. In the middle of the battlefield is where Luffy saw it the best. They spoke to each other not with words, but with actions. When Luffy, as captain, always took it upon himself to take care of the leader or commander of whichever group they were fighting, Zoro and Sanji would divide as much of the enemy forces as they could between themselves, making sure the rest of the crew wouldn’t have to fight unnecessary battles.

Aside from them, Usopp and Chopper were always very close, but anyone could see that. Luffy loved the two boys a lot, because Chopper was always the first to listen to what Usopp had to say, and Usopp was always the first to praise Chopper for his accomplishments.

Nami and Brook had an interesting dynamic, but Luffy was surprised to see how well they actually got along. Nami would never hold back when it came to hitting Brook for asking to take a peek of her panties, but Luffy could see a small smirk of amusement form at the corners of her mouth whenever she gave the skeleton a good kick to the skull. She respected Brook’s chivalry, and although she was hesitant at first to have him join the crew, she promised Brook that she would navigate him back to Reverse Mountain so that he could fulfill that promise he made so many years ago.

So yes, Luffy picked up on the small things about his crew very easily, which also applies to the archeologist and the shipwright.

When Luffy witnessed the horrific act of Robin using her powers to “convince” Franky to join the crew, Luffy had never seen the woman quite so determined and amused with herself. From then on, the two paired incredibly well together. They had a certain maturity to them that Luffy looked up to. The boy looked up to all of his crew for various reasons, but with Robin and Franky, it was the parental essence that they unconsciously possessed. Their years of wisdom seemed to put them on a similar wavelength. Luffy always liked looking at Robin when she giggled at Franky’s boastful antics, and Luffy was always amused by looking at Franky’s grin whenever he successfully won over Robin.

In fact, it was Luffy who first noticed the feelings Robin and Franky had developed for each other, likely even before they themselves realized. Luffy might be foolish, but he wasn’t completely brainless. He picked up on the way they stole glances from each other without the other realizing, and how they liked to sit near each other during dinner. Luffy never really spoke up about it, because it wasn’t his business. He knew that this blossoming romance between the two wouldn’t shake up the dynamic of the crew in any negative way, so Luffy had nothing to worry about. He knew that they were both mature adults, and it was their decision on whether or not they would act on the feelings they possessed. Just like how the crew admired Luffy’s leadership, he admired them, he was their biggest fan and he knew they would make the right decision.

So Luffy decided to be a silent cheerleader for the romance between the two. There was nobody else in the world he trusted to love his archeologist the way Franky did, and there was nobody else in the world he trusted to love his shipwright the way Nico Robin did.


	3. Compliment and Breakfast

* * *

_COMPLIMENT_

* * *

“How’s it going in there, Nico Robin? Need help?”

“Be patient Franky, I’ll be out in a second.”

Franky tapped his foot on the ground as he waited in front of the changing room. It was pretty customary for Robin to buy at least ONE new article of clothing every time the Straw Hats stopped at an island. This may seem like a lot, especially for a pirate, but when you consider that Nami swindles store owners out of an entire wardrobe every time she walks in, then Robin was pretty tame in comparison.

After just a couple more seconds of Franky sitting patiently, Robin pulled the curtain aside and step out.

“Well… what do you think?” asked Robin. She was wearing a white, short-sleeved sundress with a colorful array of flowers decorating it. On her feet were a simple pair of open-toed shoes that complimented the dress nicely.

Franky whistled upon seeing the archeologist, lifting his sunglasses up to get a better look. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to impress somebody with a dress like that.” Franky beamed brightly as he grabbed the woman’s hand and spun her around, hugging her between his arms and laughing into the top of her hair.

Robin laughed as she was whipped around, “Oh? Well since you mention it, there has been a man I’ve been getting a little crush on…”

“Oh? Tell me… who’s this special man you’re trying to impress?”

Robin giggled into her hand, deciding to play along, “Well… where do I begin? He’s very brash. I’ve heard he likes to walk into large crowds wearing nothing but a shirt and a speedo. Mother’s warn their children to look away when he walks past…”

“Oh? This man seems SUPER noticeable, I wonder if I’ve seen him around town?”

“I’d doubt that. You see, between you and me…” Robin turned to face Franky. She leaned up on her toes and cupped a hand around her mouth so she could whisper something into his ear, “I’ve heard rumors that he’s a pirate, believe it or not.”

Franky made a pretend shocked expression upon hearing the secret. “Woah! Are you sure? What’s a pretty lady like yourself doing trying to gain the attention of a dangerous pirate?”

The woman shrugged her shoulders, “What can I say? When someone piques my curiosity, I can’t help myself but go the extra mile to have them notice me.”

Franky nodded as a lightbulb went off in his head. “You know, now that we’re on the subject, there IS a girl I’ve had my eye on recently.”

“Oh? Do tell?”

Franky tapped his finger on his chin, walking through the various clothing isles while letting his metal fingers brush along the fabrics, “I’m not sure where to begin. She’s a real looker! If that’s a good place to start?”

Robin smirked, “How pretty is she? Give me a comparison.”

Franky responded by lifting up two pairs of clothes in each of his hands. “Well, take this for example,” Franky nudged his shoulder to the revealing swimsuit in his left hand, “she COULD wear this, and I’m sure she would look super in it, but she wouldn’t need to.” He then dropped the bikini to the floor and held up a plain black t-shirt (Robin recognized the shirt as the one she was wearing when she entered the store). “But then take this normal shirt for example, she could wear this and look just as beautiful.”

Franky made his way back to Robin’s side, grinning in pride at the comparison he made up. “What I’m trying to say is, she could wear LITERALLY anything in the world, and she would find a way to make a man drool at the sight of her.”

Robin clapped her hands in approval, “Bravo, Mr. Franky, bravo. If I was her, I would have no choice but to fall head over heels in-"

“OH MY GOD WE GET IT! CAN WE MOVE ALONG NOW?”  
  


Robin and Franky turned their head, seeing an orange-haired navigator who had likely been watching this display for far longer than she would prefer. She had a couple of shirts folded on her arm, and a poor store clerk carried eight or nine bags of clothes behind her. The man had a look in his eyes that pleaded for help, whether that be by relieving him of the bags or by knocking him unconscious so he wouldn’t have to deal with the wrath of Nami anymore.

“I love you both, you know that,” Nami walked past the two, rolling her eyes, “But c’mon, we don’t have time to play. I’d rather leave before the manager comes around and yells at this foolish man for giving me an 88% discount on all these clothes.”

Franky and Robin gave each other a knowing smile before the cyborg saluted to the woman-in-charge, “Yes ma’am!”

Robin walked alongside Nami as Franky relieved the struggling man of his duty, “Nami, you weren’t jealous of all the attention I was getting, were you?”

Nami gave her friend a weird look, “Jealous? No. Just embarrassed that I have to be seen with you two.” she stuck her tongue out teasingly.

Robin laughed, “I see.”

“You know Nami,” Franky spoke up from behind them, “I can give you compliments too if that would make you happy?”

Nami scoffed, “I’m good, thanks. Sanji and Brook bother me with enough praise as it is, I don’t need a third weirdo to add into the mix.”

“You calling me a weirdo!? Aww, Nami-sis! You’re too sweet to me.”

Robin smiled at the exchange between her crew mates. Even if Franky was just as goofy as the other boys on the ship, he still found a way to joke around with Nami without provoking her to kick him in the head.

“W-WAIT! MA’AM!” The store clerked called out as the trio made their way outside, “I gave you all of those discounts, yet you still didn’t pay me! And your friend there needs to pay for the sun dress she’s wearing!”

Nami turned sharply on her heels, “Relax dude! I left a pouch with your payment on the counter over there. Now quit following me! If I didn’t know any better, I would say you’re a pervert!”

“Pervert!? Where?” Franky asked, turning his head from side to side.

Nami just groaned out loud as they sped up their pace back to the Thousand Sunny. Robin gave an all-to-knowing smirk as she turned her head to see the poor shop employee grab the money-pouch on the counter. She knew that any moment now, the trio would need to make a dash for the ship, as it was way too obvious that there was no money in that bag. Instead, there was likely just a little note inside reading something along the lines of: _I.O.U. for the clothes, but only if I ever see you again ;P – Cat Burglar Nami_

* * *

_BREAKFAST_

* * *

Franky was always one to sleep in pretty late. He was usually the last to rise amongst the Straw Hat Pirates, even though waking up at 9:00 a.m. wasn’t necessarily “sleeping in late”. There was an unspoken rule among the crew that breakfast began promptly at 9:30, so anyone who wasn’t seated in the dining room by then would have to risk getting all of their breakfast eaten by Luffy. Franky made a habit of being awake by 9:00 a.m. AT LEAST.

Today, however, Franky found himself waking up to a small alarm he plugged into his shoulder. He decided that today he was going to get up a couple hours earlier than usual.

Franky got out of bed carefully. Normally, he wouldn’t have to worry about waking up the other men on the ship, but he had to tip toe across the room, keeping an eye on all of the boys sleeping peacefully in their beds. He knew most of them would be waking up shortly anyway, but Franky chose not to risk waking them up as he didn’t want to waste time explaining why he was up so early.

Franky shut the door of the boy’s quarters carefully and stepped out onto the ship’s desk. Dawn would be approaching soon as the sun could be seen peaking its head over the horizon. Franky took a breath of fresh air and put a determined grin on his face.

Today, he decided, he would make breakfast for the Straw Hat Pirates.

Now obviously, breakfast (and all other meals of the today) were the chef’s responsibility. Sanji took pride in feeding his crew, and he had not once missed out on making a meal or asking for assistance with the meal prepping.

But seeing as Sanji was resting in the infirmary with a bad flu, Franky didn’t expect he would be waking up to serve breakfast today.

The night before, Sanji came down with a random, devastating illness. It was uncommon for Sanji to even get a simple cold, so when the crew found him leaning over the side of the Sunny, spilling out the contents of his stomach into the sea, they knew it must be serious.

Without hesitation, Chopper ran some tests on the man inside the ship’s infirmary. After checking his temperature, heart pressure, and checking for anything suspicious with his stethoscope, Chopper concluded that Sanji had come down with Influenza; the common flu.

His flu wasn’t nearly as bad as what Nami had in Drum Island, so the crew didn’t need to worry about anything bad happening to Sanji. But still, it would take a few days of rest and antibiotics to get the chef back up and moving again.

Those thoughts are what drove Franky as he made his way over to the kitchen. Last night was pretty rough, to say the least. Due to being worried about Sanji and having gone so long without cooking proper meals themselves, dinner was pretty much a free-for-all where each crewmember grabbed something from the fridge that could be eaten without much cooking and they sat in silence at the dinner table.

Franky had cooked for himself plenty of times back in Water 7, but he was far from being an expert. As he walked into the kitchen, he thought of just simply heating up some bacon and making scrambled eggs with toast on the side; just something simple.

He was shocked to find Robin in the kitchen, using her powers to sprout multiple arms around the kitchen and perform various tasks at once.

“Oh, Franky… you’re up early.” The woman said as the cyborg stepped into the room.

“Yeah… I guess you and I had the same idea.” He replied, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

Robin nodded her head sadly, she knew that the crew would wake up and assume it would be a help-yourself situation for breakfast as well, so she chose to use what little bit of cooking-knowledge she had to prepare something.

Franky walked around the counter into the kitchen, looking at all of the ingredients Robin was working with, “You’re making soup?”

She glanced at the bubbling water in front of her and sighed, “I know soup is a little strange to have for breakfast, but Sanji hasn’t eaten anything since yesterday afternoon so I…” She stopped, sadly lowering her head in worry for the poor chef.

It made sense, Franky thought, that soup would work as an alternative for normal breakfast. Not only was it likely the only thing Sanji could keep down, but it was relatively simple to make, so the rest of the crew would surely understand the decision.

“Well then, consider me your kitchen hand.” Franky said as he went over to the sink to wash his hands, “What should I do?”

Robin turned to the man and smiled gently, appreciating the help, “Thank you Franky. If you want to take over cutting up the chicken for me, that would be great.” As she said this, the pair of arms that were slicing up a chicken breast vanished into thin air.

Franky dried off his hands and went to take over cutting the meat. Judging from the ingredients of chicken, as well as the carrots, celery, and noodles that Robin had laid out on the counter, Franky concluded that chicken vegetable soup was on the menu for breakfast. It was a natural remedy for those with sick stomachs, but it was also filling enough to hopefully get the rest of crew fed for the morning.

Franky made quick work with the rest of the chicken breast as Robin turned off the heat that was boiling the water. She took a nice handful of noodles and slid them gently into the broth, letting that sit for a minute. “Should we make anything else?” She asked the cyborg, “Sanji usually has several things for us to choose from during meals.”  
  


Franky scanned the pantry, looking for something else that would be quick and easy to make. “We can make toast later. I’m pretty sure there’s some leftover jam in the fridge, so that could go well with soup.”

Robin nodded, “Good call.” An arm blossomed out of the counter next to the fridge, giving a pull on the handle to open it. Before Robin could use her powers to pull the jam out, Franky beat her to it by reaching in and grabbing the jar of jelly.

“Here it is. We still have plenty of time before breakfast, so I’ll toast the bread later.”

Franky and Robin worked diligently for the next hour, doing what they could to make enough soup to fill up 8 hungry stomachs (as well as Brook’s non-existent one). The two worked in good harmony with one another, splitting up the work equally while making sure they didn’t get in each other’s way. Franky went outside to “borrow” a couple of tangerines from Nami’s tree so he could make a juice while Robin mixed the contents of the chicken and vegetable soup together. Pretty soon, the two heard the kitchen door open to see a tiny reindeer and a green-haired swordsman walk through the door.

“Good morning, Robin! Franky!” Chopper called out as he let himself in.

“That damn curly-brows, he better be thankful you two took care of breakfast.”

“Sanji can’t help that he’s sick, brother.” Franky said as he prepared to toast some bread.

Zoro mumbled something in response. As harsh as Zoro could be to their chef, he knew that the womanizing man would be just as willing to step up and take care of something if one of the other’s got sick.

“I went to check on him earlier,” Chopper said as he hopped up to take a seat by the counter, “He was sound asleep, so I’m glad to know he’s getting at least a little rest.”

Robin nodded, also clearly pleased to know Sanji managed to sleep through the night, “I’m hoping he will be able to keep some of this soup down. Do you want to bring him some when you do your morning checkup?”

Chopper sighed, resting his cheek against his hoof, “I would, but I was just about to ground up some herbs to make another antidote for Sanji’s flu. I only came in here to grab a bite of something to eat. I want to make that medicine as soon as possible.” Chopper tapped the bag he had around his shoulders, which likely contained the ingredients for Sanji’s medicine.

“Say no more than, little brother. We can bring him breakfast. And here, this is yours.” Franky said as he slid Chopper two pieces of toast with butter and jelly. “I’ll bring out some soup and juice for you later if you want it, go get started on the antidote, Sanji’s counting on you to make him feel better!”

“Right!” Chopper replied, quickly chomping down on the toast and heading out onto the deck.

Robin sighed in relief as she taste-tested the soup, “I think it’s ready to serve.” She walked next to Franky and touched his arm gently, “Thank you for helping me. You should stay here and enjoy breakfast with the others, I’ll bring this to Sanji.”

“You both should go.” Zoro said, standing up from his seat at the dining table. “You know curly-brows is going to want to thank you both for making breakfast. I’ll make sure the other’s get their meal.” Zoro crossed his arms, clearly not wanting to admit he knew the cook would appreciate Zoro taking over serving-duty.

The rest of the crew was slowly beginning to pile into the room at this point.

Robin smiled gently, no matter how stubborn Zoro was, she knew he had a softspot for his friends, even Sanji. “That would be great. Make sure Luffy doesn’t eat our share, could you?”

Zoro grunted as Robin and Zoro put a bowl of soup, and glass of orange juice on a tray, then made their way to the infirmary.

When Robin stepped inside with the meal, followed by Franky, they saw that Sanji was awake.

“Robin-chan!” Sanji exclaimed, slowly sitting upright, “You made me breakfast? You’re an angel!”

“Umm… WE made you breakfast…” Franky said awkwardly as he stepped into the room.

Sanji, choosing to ignore Franky’s remark but silently appreciating him, smiled as Robin placed the tray in his lap.

“How are you feeling?” Robin asked, sitting at the foot of the bed while Franky sat on a chair against the wall.

“Shitty. But better.” Sanji dipped his spoon into the soup and sipped it slowly. Robin frowned upon seeing his shaky, pale hand.

“H-hey…” Sanji breathed out after swallowing, “This is actually really good, you two!”

Franky cackled, giving the man a thumbs up, “Of course it is! Don’t you know Robin and I are the best team around?”

Sanji mumbled something along the lines of “I never said that” and “You should be grateful Robin saved you from cooking by yourself” but Franky didn’t pick up on those remarks.

Robin and Franky sat with Sanji until he finished his meal, feeling grateful that they could do at least a little bit to help a crew mate in need. Sanji thanked both of them for taking care of breakfast for them, promising that the first meal he makes when he gets better will be of their choosing. As Robin and Franky took the now empty tray and left the room, Franky turned to look at Robin, grinning.

“So, what do you want to make for lunch?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry there weren't as many stories as usual for this chapter. I'm trying to work on making these longer and more descriptive, so I might need to sacrifice quantity for quality from now on.
> 
> Thanks to all who have left comments/kudos so far, I appreciate it greatly! I'm hoping to include a story involving Jinbei pretty soon. Even though he hasn't been on the ship during the more quieter moments with the Straw Hats, he is an official member, and I think his personality works really well with Robin and Franky. I will do my best to make sure I don't spoil any recent manga events, however, so I will need to work on something that stays faithful to their characters without spoiling the recent arc.
> 
> Thank you for reading, have a great day!


	4. Apologize, Habit, and Dreams

* * *

_APOLOGIZE_

* * *

Robin watched carefully as Usopp and Franky stood together, looking out into the endless sea beside one another. It had been only a couple days since Franky joined the crew and the band of pirates set sail with their new ship: The Thousand Sunny. While Luffy’s grandpa, Vice Admiral Garp, didn’t make their departure easy, the crew’s escape was inevitable, and the Straw Hat Pirates were using the next couple of days to relax before they reached their next destination.

The scars of everything that happened during their time in Water 7 were yet to be fully healed, however. Usopp had yet to forgive himself for disregarding Luffy the way he did, and Franky had yet to forgive himself for beating Usopp up and taking all of his money. As the sun began to set and most of the Straw Hats separated to indulge in their own, quieter activities. Luffy said on the head of the Sunny to better acquaintance himself with her, Sanji and Zoro (somehow without arguing) cleaned the dishes from their supper, Nami updated her logbook while Chopper restocked his medical supplies in the infirmary. While all of this was happening, the sniper and the shipwright found a moment to talk between themselves.

“You don’t need to apologize.” Usopp said, leaning against the side of the ship, “I live the life of a pirate, I can’t be mad at you for stealing from me.”

Franky sighed and folded his arms, “Doesn’t mean I don’t feel bad about it, brother.”

Usopp shook his head and chuckled to himself, “Don’t sweat it Franky. The only one who needs to do the apologizing around here is me. Everytime I walk past Zoro he glares at me with those sharp eyes of his.”

The two sat in silence as the waves rocked against the ship. The sun nearly set over the horizon.

“I… I know this ship this ship won’t replace the Going Merry.” Franky finally spoke, “I don’t know if you’ll ever love the Sunny the same way loved her, but…”

“It was just a ship, Franky.” Usopp stated coldly, “Ship’s break… it’s what happens.”

Franky prepared to retort that just because the body of the ship broke, that didn’t mean the soul of the ship was gone but getting into that conversation didn’t feel like an appropriate wound to reopen.

“I already know I’ll have to apologize to Kaya and her butler when I go back home someday.” Usopp leaned his elbow against the edge of the rail and pressed his palm into his cheek, “We went and let the ship he designed get destroyed.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for, Usopp.” Said a voice from behind them. Usopp and Franky turned around to see Robin approach from in between them, filling the space in the middle of the two.

“Robin!” Usopp exclaimed, “You’re still up?”

Robin didn’t answer. She leaned down and let her arms rest against Sunny, “If we were expected to apologize for everything that happened, I would need to apologize to you all for being an enemy in Alabasta, and I would have to apologize for getting you all involved with CP9.” She turned to face the sniper and smiled softly, “But this crew isn’t one to care about apologizes. It’s your actions that you take now that make up for past mistakes.”

Franky closed his eyes and grinned, “Always the sophisticated one, Nico Robin. You’ve got a point though, being too apologetic is SUPER lame.”

Usopp snorted, appreciating the subtle consolation from the two, “It’s hard to imagine you two ever feeling sorry for yourselves, you both seem so sure of yourselves.”

Franky grinned, “Of course I am! I’m SUPER unapologetic this week. But I guess I am pretty much every week.” He put his finger to his chin in thought.

The three stood in silence as a few minutes went by. By now, the stars in the sky were the only light sources left to illuminate the faces of the crew.

Franky finally spoke up after a few moments.

“On that note, apologizing for EVERYTHING is annoying, but it’s okay to still feel bad about things.” He looked up, grinning proudly, “Regretting the things you’ve done in the past just shows you're growing into a better person today. You’re not the same man who messed up before, you’ve learned from it.”

Robin nodded her head, “That’s a nice way to put it.” she cooed, smiling in content.

Usopp looked over at the two and chuckled. To say that his heart was being plagued by worry would be an underestimation. In truth, Usopp still felt bad for how things ended with the crew. He wouldn’t apologize for standing up for what he believed in, but he did wish he could apologize more for insulting Luffy’s pride and giving him so much to grieve over after JUST learning his ship couldn’t be fixed.

But then, he looked over at the two mature pirates standing beside him. They each held their own baggage, but it didn’t weigh either of them down. Instead, the things they carried were reminders of everything they went through that led them to this wonderful moment that they have in the present.

_There’s nothing to apologize for._ Usopp reminded himself. He smiled in content as the trio continued to look out over the side of the Sunny together.

* * *

_HABIT_

* * *

Franky noticed Robin made a habit of doing a headcount on the crew all the time. Whether it was at the dining table or regrouping after a battle, she would check to make sure all nine crew members were together; that nobody was lost. As the group celebrated amongst themselves, the woman would nod her head in counting just to make sure all members of the crew were accounted for. The idea seemed silly at first, as each member of the crew could be heard from a mile away, but it was something Robin just made a habit of doing.

Robin would catch her breath only when she knew all eight of her crew mates were present.

Franky wondered how many times she lost an ally and didn’t realize until it was too late.

-

Robin noticed Franky made a habit of touching a hand to his chest when recollecting himself after a moment of severity. Franky was always one to roll with the punches, but feeling for his heartbeat seemed to be a subtle way for Franky to remind himself that he was, in fact, just as alive and human as he has always been.

_Thump thump. Thump thump. Thump thump. Thump thump._

Sometimes Robin herself would place a hand gently over the beating heart of the cyborg, whether it be as a display of affection or of comfort to remind Franky that he wasn’t the only one who could feel his heartbeat.

Robin supposed that a man who was once inches away from death could have a hard time remembering just how alive he truly is.

-

Franky noticed Robin had a habit of tying her hair back into a ponytail whenever she was deep in thought. There was one time when she locked herself in the library for a few hours, needing time by herself to decipher hieroglyphs she discovered off of their latest island visit. As she excused herself from the rest of the crew, she mindlessly pulled a hair tie out of her pocket and seamlessly pulled her hair into a tight hold.

She looked pretty, Franky thought, when she held up her like that.

Robin would eventually go on to explain her tendency to tie up her hair during moments where she had to focus. She explained that always had a lot on her mind and she’s prone to loosing track of where his thoughts were leading her at times.

“It sounds silly but tying up my hair seems to help open up my brain,” She said, running a finger through her long, dark hair. “It keeps the clutter out and help me focus on the task at hand.”

Franky came around to realize that when Robin’s hair was tied up, it was a signal that showed she would prefer not to talk. She could do without the distractions. Franky would try not to speak during these times, instead just giving her hand a gentle squeeze, subtly reminding her he was there to help if she ever needed something.

-

Robin noticed Franky made a habit of changing his persona based on which members of the crew he was around. When with Luffy and the other younger boys, his personality became overtly eccentric and silly. Even if this foolish behavior could sometimes get on Robin’s nerves, she had to admit, seeing the amazed faces on Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper everytime they gawked at the cyborg was always a pleasant sight.

His more relaxed side would shine when interacting with crew mates like Zoro, Nami, and Sanji. He relied on the skills that they excelled at, and in turn, would never hesitate to step up and help them with something, mechanical or otherwise, if they needed it. They usually held indifference towards his more boastful actions, so Franky sought out other, more subtle, means to impress those members of the crew.

Franky’s personality turned into something in between the previous two forms when he was hanging out beside Brook. Seeing as the skeleton had a knack for being easily impressed, yet also appreciating mature, sophisticated interactions, Franky never really had to try too hard to please Brook. He could do literally anything and Brook would find a way to be amused.

Robin had yet to fully understand the entirety of Franky’s personality, nor did she ever think she ever fully would. Franky had his quirks, he had his traditions, and he was never shy to make himself seen. Robin wondered if she could learn a thing or two from Franky and his immersive identity.

Robin and Franky had their habits, as does every person and animal on the planet. The two could never imagine the other without these traits. Whether the traits were subtle quirks or major qualities that defined their personality, the two literally came around to appreciate everything about the other.

* * *

_DREAMS_

* * *

Robin sat with Franky’s head on her lap, he was facing up, looking at the night sky above the Thousand Sunny’s deck.

Her fingers brushed gently through his short blue hair. She looked down into his eyes as he watched for constellations.

“Hey.” The cyborg said softly, his eyes still focused on the night sky.

“Hmm?” She hummed in response.

“Do you want to get married someday?”

Robin’s eyes widened, she thought for a moment before responding, “Where’s all this coming from?”

“Just answer the question, Nico Robin. Would you want to be married one day?”

Her whole life, Robin had been driven by one thing: discovering the truth about the Void Century. The idea of settling down with someone and getting married was something she never strived for in life. Mainly because she never imagined she would ever find someone she would consider being wed to.

“Yes. I would.” She concluded with a smile.

Franky beamed back at her with a toothy grin, “Okay! I mean… not anytime soon, of course. But like… after Luffy becomes the Pirate King.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Robin looked up at the stars alongside the cyborg on her lap. She concluded that yes, without a doubt, she would want to be married to Franky once their journey was over. When they finished their voyage, and Robin achieved her dream of finding the Rio Poneglyph, what was there left to do? Sure, she would make sure of it that every single one of the crew mates would have their dreams achieved too, but what would Robin’s life be afterwards? A few years ago, she never would have imagined she would even be alive long enough to achieve her goal, but now, she could nearly reach out and grab it. She could visualize her dream for the first time in many, MANY years.

There were stories Robin used to hear about adventures who used to sail out to achieve goals. When they returned home, dreams accomplished and all, they were happy, but the joy didn’t last forever. After a few years of living in a world where they achieved their dream, they were left with the unanswerable question of: “What’s supposed to happen next?”

Dreams were the will to live, and Robin’s will to live was something she was never going to give up again.

At that moment, as Franky began to doze off and Robin continued to stroke his hair, she decided to give herself another dream to accomplish. First, of course, she would continue this voyage to learn of the Void Century with her friends, then she would marry the cyborg who was drooling on her lap.

“Yes… that sounds nice.” Robin said to herself as she felt her own eyes grow heavy with sleepiness.


	5. Waltz, Scars, and Letter

* * *

_WALTZ_

* * *

The sound of music echoed through the night as Brook caressed each key with a delicate finger. His posture was straight, his humming gentle, and his afro as fluffy as it should be.

On occasional nights, when the Straw Hat Pirates prepare to wrap up their duties and go to sleep, Brook would take time to rehearse some songs on his piano.

Nico Robin stepped onto the deck, just finishing cleaning the bathroom. Robin was one of the only ones who actually put effort into rubbing the sinks and restocking the soap, so she tended to get scheduled for cleaning much more than the others.

“Robin-san. Finally heading to bed?” Brook asked upon seeing the woman walk out of the library (the ladder to the bathroom was located in there).

“I think I’ll stay up awhile longer.” She replied, taking a seat on the bench beside him. Brook normally kept his piano stored away, but he would often move it out onto the main deck on especially tranquil nights so he could play underneath the stars.

“I’d appreciate your company then!” The skeleton replied, “It’s been too long since you and I have had alone time to chat by oursel—”

“SUUUUUPER COMPLETION!” Franky yelled, opening the manhole cover from the center of the deck and bursting out with a thrust of his arms angled upward.  
  


Brook, forgetting all about what he was saying, gave out a hearty laugh at the sight of the cyborg walking over to them, “Yohohoho! Franky-san! I’d forgotten you were fixing up the Mini Merry!”

“Just went to change the lightbulb.” Franky replied, “But I figured I might as well make sure the dials were working fine.” The man took a seat beside his girlfriend, Robin, throwing an arm over her shoulder and giving her a quick hug.

The adult members of the Straw Hat Crew talked amongst themselves for a few minutes. Most of the other crew were already asleep, with Zoro up in the crow’s nest and Sanji doing stock in the kitchen. It wasn’t often that Brook got to have more relaxed moments like this on the crew, and even though he was particularly extroverted at heart (despite lacking a heart), he still appreciated the calm nights aboard the Thousand Sunny. The fact that he didn’t spend silent nights like these alone anymore was all Brook needed to know to feel at ease.

“Well, since I still have the piano out,” Brook turned his body to face the instrument, “Any requests from you two?”  
  


Franky thought for a moment, “I _would_ say Bink’s Sake, but Luffy’s already asked you to play that five times this week, so I’ll pass.”  
  


“Why don’t you play us something new?” Robin asked, leaning her body against Franky.

Brook sat silent for a few moments. While he once knew dozens of songs to play on the piano, a large portion of the songs were lost in memory after so many years of going without playing them. Most songs Brook could remember were the upbeat ones, such as the beforementioned Bink’s Sake, which could always find a way to cheer him up on those particular nights where his heart was heavy from the loneliness of being a stray out on the sea. Instead of trying to recollect the songs he once knew, Brook was innovative and had a knack for creativity, so he enjoyed writing his own songs to replace the forgotten ones.

“There is something I’ve been working on for a while.” Brook recalled, “It doesn’t have any lyrics yet, nor a name, but I can share it with you two if you’d like?”

“Please do.”

“The floor’s yours, skele-bro!”

The musician nodded and let his fingers work their way through the keys to produce a somber melody. If Brook still had veins and nerves in his fingers, one could almost say piano-playing came down to muscle memory for the skeleton. The tune was delicate, focusing on a steady beat between each note rather than striking particular keys to produce a heart-tugging piece. The rhythm of the beat was fast enough to tap your foot to, but slow enough for every note to be heard clearly. Robin quickly recognized the music as something that would play in a ballroom.

Robin had been in a ballroom once before, many years ago. While she _was_ there to assassinate a Marine Captain and not to dance, she still appreciated the atmosphere of the event. Robin admired the class of it all, the fancy ballgowns, the display of ice sculptures, the mesmerizing music, everything about the ball almost made Robin forget about the cruel world she lived in. Instead of fearing Buster Calls or bounty hunters in that ballroom, the only things people had to worry about were if they looked pretty enough and if the food was exotic enough for their tastes.

As Robin listened to Brook’s song, she sat up and faced Franky with an extended hand,

“Care to dance?”

He scoffed a little with a surprised smirk.

“…You’re joking right?”

Brook continued to play his song, but he did look over at Robin curiously.

“When do I ever joke, Franky?” She grabbed his arm and pulled him up, “Won’t you dance with me?”

Franky stared at his lover with wide eyes as she dragged him across the deck. Franky liked to dance, but by himself. He could never recall dancing with a partner before.

Robin smiled charmingly as she placed one hand on his shoulder and interlinked another hand with his own, “It’s just a waltz. Follow my lead, okay?”

“S-Sure…” Franky bent his knees awkwardly, so Robin didn’t have to reach her hand so high up to touch his shoulder.

The two started off slowly, only moving with every other beat that Brook played. Franky stumbled wherever Robin led him as they made tight circles around the deck. At one point, Franky accidentally stepped on Robin’s foot. Although this normally wouldn’t be much of an issue, Franky’s foot was lined with a steel plating, so it made Robin wince a little. Regardless, through all of the clumsy movements and foot smushing, she remained very patient with the cyborg as she waltzed with him.

Brook mindlessly played through the song; his hollow eyes focusing on the dance between his friends. Despite the fact that Franky was letting Robin take the lead, it was pretty obvious Robin herself was still a novice at waltzing. She didn’t try to pull any spins or dips, instead just wanted to get the hang of dancing in circles with her partner. Her eyes stayed locked on Franky’s, but there were several instances where she would watch their feet when she lost track of the rhythm. She wasn’t very experienced with waltzing, not that Brook expected her to be someone who frequently attended dances though.

Regardless, Brook thought they looked beautiful as they danced together.

His two crew mates put their all into trying to dance with each other. Neither were experts, yet neither felt nervous about messing up in front of the other. The synchronization wasn’t perfect, but nothing about love is ever perfectly in balance. It’s a give and take between two bodies who continue to dance around each other; figuring out a harmony that works well for both of them.

As Franky and Robin lost themselves in the music, almost not realizing when Brook finally stopped playing, the musician thought up a new name for his song.

_Nobody Is Alone._ Brook decided in his mind. His new waltz would be a name to remind him and his crew that from this moment on; none of them would be alone ever again.

* * *

_SCARS_

* * *

Franky pressed a washcloth onto the small of Robin’s back, rubbing small circles across her spine. The heat of the shower water created steam that coiled around their bodies, tickling their skin pink with the heat. His mechanical hand was designed for delicate work, but he still made sure not to push against Robin’s back with too much pressure.

Franky watched with careful eyes as the woman’s back got covered in a thin layer of soap. Her back was slender, incredibly beautiful, but scarred. Franky could see small cuts and bruises that healed into scars all across the woman’s back. One scar in particular, a sizeable gash across her lower back, was especially prominent. He remembered Robin telling him he got this scar from Crocodile, after he betrayed her in the tombs of Alabasta.

She would have died from this if Luffy hadn’t been there.

The cyborg traced the scar with his hand. Even though it was metal and not soft skin, the touch was soothing against the woman’s back.

Franky moved his hand up to the base of her neck, massaging smooth circles against her shoulder blades. From just one touch Franky could feel the knots that wove through the muscles in her shoulders. After so many years of sprouting arms in combat and receiving all of the pressure of what they touched, it only made sense her shoulders would be a little strained.

Speaking of her arms, her long, pale, slender arms, they too had their fair share of scaring. Small stab wounds and bruises formed all over her limbs in tiny freckles. Her hands were bruised and scabbing at the palms. Sizeable calluses marked her hands as a sign of the friction and irritation they have felt over the past thirty years she has used them for work.

Franky snapped out of his daze when Robin turned around to face him, grabbing the washcloth from his hands and telling him it was his turn.

Franky huffed disappointedly as he turned to give Robin access to his back. Robin started at the top of his spine with the washcloth but sprouted some additional arms off her shoulder to rub soap into the rest of his large back.

Franky’s back was the only part of his body that showed visible signs of scarring. The rest of his body could be replaced, so no battle wounds were present there.

Franky shivered and breathed out everytime a finger trailed across his skin. His back was the only part of his body that was untouched by mechanical work, so it was especially sensitive when compared to the skin on his front. Franky rarely left his back exposed, so receiving contact from an outside force put feelings in Franky that normally weren’t explored. Robin’s hands caressed Franky’s back carefully as the water from the shower poured down on them. The heat of the water mixing with the cool touch of Robin’s fingers felt almost therapeutic against Franky’s back.

Just like with her, Franky carried some of his own scars on his back.

There was a mix of scabs and stitches decorating the man’s back. Robin also noticed burn marks caused from extended exposure to intense heat. The woman wondered what happened to the cyborg to produce such markings.

One such scar was layered directly over his spine in a vertical gash. It was pale, hardly noticeable if you weren’t looking hard enough, but large enough to spot under closer inspection.

Robin stood up on her tip toes, leaned her arms against the man’s back, and gave the scar a gentle kiss.

Franky let out a quiet gasp upon feeling the woman’s lips on his back. He was letting himself get lost in the touch of hands and the downpour of water on his head, so the sudden feeling snapped him back into focus.

Robin laughed gently, telling the cyborg they should probably get out soon since they were using up a lot of the water. She formed a hand to appear near the shower faucet, giving it a few turns so the water would shut off.

The two dried off and threw on their clothes, neither saying a word but appreciating each other’s presence, nonetheless.

* * *

_LETTER_

* * *

Iceburg, the president of the Galley-La company, sat at his desk, reading through files and contracts carelessly. Normally, Iceburg was very serious when it came to his work, but his mind would stray away from him more and more after the past few weeks. Ever since the news about the Straw Hat Pirates separation at the Saobady Archipelago, Iceburg had been extremely distracted from work.

Iceburg looked out the window down to the city of Water 7, scanning the buildings below.

“Franky… what happened to you?”

He couldn’t even be sure if the man was still alive. The Franky Family has been in a wreck, worrying about their big brother these past few days. Even Kokoro, Chimney, and Gonbe lost their normally bubbly personality ever since they heard the news of what happened to the Straw Hat Pirates.

The sound of the office door opening made Iceburg perk up from his seat. His new, younger secretary strolled into the room with a box of folders and papers. She placed the heavy box on his desk then wiped the sweat from her forehead.

“The supply shipment just arrived. Paulie’s gonna need you to sign all of this, kay?” The girl said with a cheerful grin.

Iceburg sighed and rubbed his forehead, “Very well… thanks.”

His secretary adjusted her glasses and gave him a smirk before turning sharply on her heels and walking to the door. As she pulled the handle, she turned her head to look back at the president, “By the way, you got a letter! It should be on the top right there.” She exited the room with a skip in her step as Iceburg glanced at the box.

Sure enough, a small envelope with Iceburg’s name, written in a tight cursive font, was placed on top of the other papers in the box. He grabbed the envelope and ripped the top off, unfolding the paper inside to read what was inside.

_Dear Iceburg,_

_I hope this letter reached you well. This is Nico Robin, the archeologist of the Straw Hat Pirates._

Iceburg gulped audibly as he read that name on the paper.

“Nico Robin…? What on earth!?”

If there was one name Iceburg would remember for the rest of his life, it would be that name. Despite the time where she held him at gunpoint and nearly killed him, he held deep sympathy for the woman. He knew no other person in this world who suffered through so many series of unfortunate events as Nico Robin did.

He quickly continued to read the letter.

_I am writing to you under the assumption that Franky will be too stubborn to write to you and ease any concerns you may have. Please don’t worry. He is alive. We are all alive._

Iceburg leaned back in his seat and placed a hand on his chest.

Franky was alive.

_Unfortunately, I don’t know where he is located, nor can I tell you where the rest of the crew are, but we all are safe. It also wouldn’t be wise of me to write my current location, as I am with individuals who need to keep hidden from the government at this time. Regardless, I hope the information about Franky’s safety will be enough to put you at ease._

_I’m not sure if Franky has written to you since leaving Water 7 and joining the crew. We have been very busy ever since we left your island, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he never found the time to write to you. In the few short months he has sailed with us, he’s proven a valuable asset to the crew. He has already accomplished so much and has saved my life from zombies and spider-monkey’s a couple of times. I’m proud to call him my crew mate._

Iceburg raised an eyebrow at the mention of some of the creatures they encountered on their travels. He chose not to read too much into it though. He trusted Franky, so he knew he could handle himself against supernatural creatures such as that.

_You needn’t worry about him, or any of us for that matter. Our captain has decided we would spend some time apart in order to sharpen our skills in preparation for the New World. I can’t share the details in specific, but I trust you will keep this information a secret for now. It could prove troublesome to us if the Marines discovered we were planning to reunite down the line._

He nodded his head in satisfaction. He was glad to hear that the Straw Hat’s were far from finished with their journey.

_By the way, I have some news I’m sure you would like to hear. We decided to name our ship after the name you suggested: The Thousand Sunny. Franky wasn’t too pleased to have this name at first, but it grew on him quickly. It’s a charming name for such a charming ship, we cannot thank you enough for giving it to us. For the moment, I can only pray that the Sunny is safe. We had to leave her behind back in the Saobady Archipelago, so I have to hope our friends back at the island will be able to protect her for the time being._

He smirked upon hearing the news. He was relieved to know the ship he helped built had taken up the name he himself had suggested. It made Iceburg feel like he had a piece of himself on that ship, sailing alongside Franky and the rest of the pirates.

_On the day we all reunite, I’ll do what I can to convince Franky to write to you, I’m sure you have been waiting to hear from him for quite some time now. For now, please t_ _ake care._

_Yours truly,_

_Nico Robin._

Iceburg stood up from his seat, folded up the letter, and gently placed it on a shelf against the wall. He smiled in content, finally feeling motivated to get started on those files he had to review. The man he thought of as a brother, was still out there somewhere in the vast blue ocean. He was still alive.


	6. Clone and Welcome

* * *

_CLONE_

* * *

The Thousand Sunny rocked back and forth against the rising waves as a downpour of rain struck the ship mercilessly. The sound of thunder streaking throughout the sky were subtle reminders of the treacherous weather that came from sailing in the New World.

Franky sighed into his palm as he looked out to the sea from a window in the crow’s nest. He always hated when random storms like this came around. Even if the weather was just something you had to get used to when sailing in these waters, sudden storms always threw a wrench in the day. Franky had been in the crow’s nest repairing a weight machine Zoro accidentally broke with his overwhelming strength when the storm hit. Since he was so high up and away from the main deck, he was unable to hear Nami’s warning of a hurricane approaching and didn’t have time to join the others who were sheltered in the kitchen.

Franky made a mental note to install microphones into his ears so he could heighten his already exceptional hearing.

What made the situation worse was that since he was trapped up in the crow’s nest, he couldn’t use a Coup de Burst to get the Sunny out of the storm. The strength of the rain and the wind would surely knock Franky off his balance if he tried to climb down from the nest. He had no choice but to wait this one out.

“Damn it.” Franky pouted to himself, “This damn storm better end before dinner! The crew is going to find me dead up here!”

“Yes, that’d be unfortunate.”

Franky flinched upon hearing the sudden voice. He picked his ears to make sure he didn’t have any bugs whispering things to him. He eventually noticed a face in the wall to his right.

Instantly, Franky recognized the face as Nico Robin’s.

“Damn it woman!” Franky yelled, “Don’t scare me like that!”

The face laughed gently, before suddenly blossoming out of the wall with a body. Franky watched as the clone seamlessly stretched out of the wall and took a seat beside him.

“You weren’t in the dining room, so I had to look all over the ship for you! I figured you must be lonely…”

“SUPER lonely!” Franky whined, “That _is_ a useful trick though. So, everyone else is in the dining room with you?”

“Mostly everyone.” She replied, “Zoro somehow got lost when following us. He got himself stuck in the washroom. I assumed he knew the ship well enough but… I’m afraid he slipped up this once.”

“I see.” Franky nodded his head.

A few seconds afterwards, Franky glanced over at the clone curiously, “By the way, I just thought of something. It’s kind of a pervy question, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Shoot.”

“How can you sprout clothes along with your body? It’s not _technically_ a part of you.”

Robin’s clone looked down at her shirt and skirt, then shrugged her shoulders. “I choose not to think about it too hard. It’s just something I’ve always been able to do.”

“I see.” Franky nodded his head.

The two sat there in silence for a moment before Robin randomly busted out into a fit of gentle giggles.

“What’s so funny?” Franky asked, tilting his head.

“Oh, it’s nothing.” The clone replied in between chuckles, “Luffy and Usopp got bored, so they decided to start a food fight and stole some pudding from the freezer when Sanji wasn’t looking. Luffy accidentally hit Nami in the cheek, so she smacked both of them with a frying pan… it was quite an amusing scene.”

Franky crossed his arms and puffed out his cheeks. “ _Pssh_ , whatever! I doubt it was _that_ funny…”

Robin, picking up on the cyborg’s tone, scooted closer and smirked at him.

“Do I sense _jealousy,_ Franky?”

“What!?” Franky stammered, “Me? Jealous? Franky and jealously DON’T mix! So _what_ if I’m all alone in the crow’s nest while you all are playing games together? I’m a one man show, baby!”

The woman nodded understandingly, “Ah, I see. Well if that’s the case I don’t want to interrupt your one man show. Maybe I’ll go give Zoro a visit instead –”

“PLEASE DON’T LEAVE ME!”

Robin watched with a grin on her face as the sobbing Franky got down on his knees and grabbed onto her leg’s (as if that could stop her clone from disappearing).

“Oh?” Robin asked with an innocent smile, “But I thought you were fine by yourself?”

“Of course, I am!” Franky yelled, instantly recovering. “I’m fine when I’m by myself, but I’m positively SUPER when I’m with you!”

Robin’s eyes widened; she felt her cheeks grow warm at the response.

“Oh? Why’s that, Franky?”

“Isn’t it obvious!? When I have witnesses, they are my greatest motivator for being an awesome guy! What’s the point of being super all the time if you have nobody around to share that energy with?”  
  


Franky jumped up and slammed his arms together while crying out his signature "SUPER" catchphrase. Even though Robin has witnessed this pose, many, _many,_ times before, something about the timing of this one made her grin widely.

The clone continued to sit against the bench and watch as Franky boasted about all of the _super_ qualities he possessesed. At one point, he even went off on a little side tangent and started listing off all of the things that made Robin super, from her knowledge on poneglyphs all the way to her hilarious macabre sense of humor.

The two didn’t even realize when the storm outside had long since passed.

-

_Meanwhile, in the kitchen…_

_-_

As the hurricane outside passed as soon as it arrived, the crew slowly made their way out of the dining room and out to the deck to get back to enjoying the sun. Sanji, who was getting started on dinner anyway, walked into the kitchen as the rest of the crew left. As he prepped the utensils, he noticed Robin, still seated at the table. Her eyes were closed, her arms were crossed, and she had a huge grin on her face.

“Robin-chan?” Sanji called out curiously.

Suddenly, Robin’s eyes snapped open. She looked around the room, realizing she was seated at the table by herself.

“Robin-chan? Something up?” Sanji asked.

The woman shook her head gently, replied that it was nothing at all, then got up to join the rest of her friends outside.

* * *

**AUTHOR’S NOTE: This segment contains spoilers for recent events in the manga from the _Wano_ Arc. If you do not wish to be spoiled, please stop here. Thank you!**

* * *

_WELCOME_

* * *

When Franky saw Jinbe, standing strong against the heavy waves of the ocean of Wano, the fish-man was instantly a welcome sight for the shipwright’s eyes.

Ever since meeting him back in Fish-Man Island, Franky had nothing but respect for Jinbe. Everything about the whale shark fish-man showed that he was an accomplished man who could hold his own in any situation. Franky also wasn’t shy to admit he admired Jinbe’s honor and ability to grow from his tragic past. Franky always cried when listening to the stories of his crew, and Jinbe was no exception to this.

When Jinbe told Luffy that he couldn’t sail with them out of Fish-Man island, and he would have to reunite with them sometime later, Franky felt so depressed that he almost bawled. Of course, he understood that the man had unfinished business, but the cyborg was still looking forward to giving him a tour of the Thousand Sunny and building him an especially large bed so that they could be bunk-buddies. Franky would also go on to learn from Nami that Jinbe was an exceptional helmsman. Franky felt more than comfortable leaving the Sunny in Jinbe’s capable hands (…or were they fins? Franky would have to ask him about that later).

Because of all of this, when Franky saw Jinbe, proudly announcing himself as an addition to the Onigashima raid, Franky couldn’t help but cheer and jump for joy.

He still carried that exact same persona he held all the way back from when the two first met. The way he decimated the enemy’s warship like it was butter gave Franky the exact same feeling he had when he watched the man take down their opponents in Fish-Man island. The man was strong, he was a badass, but most importantly, he was now family.

And Franky always cherishes his family.

-

When Robin saw Jinbe, arriving to the upcoming battle to aid the alliance, he was instantly a welcome sight for the archeologist.

When she first met him back in Fish-Man island, she valued his maturity and experience with the world almost immediately. Truthfully, all she needed to know in order to like him was that he was a friend of Luffy. Robin knew that he was there for him to help him through the tragedy of the Paramount War, so Robin was thankful for Jinbe stepping in to save her captain from his misery when the rest of the crew couldn’t. Additionally, the man’s personality was naturally warm and inviting. When she witnessed the two preparing to beat each other up, she intervened not out of fear that Luffy would be injured, but out of desire to get to know Jinbe as a person before he started throwing hands with her captain.

During the battle against the New Fish-Man Pirates, she greatly relied on Jinbe’s wisdom and power to help the Straw Hat’s with their battle. Not only was he a welcome addition to the crew because of his pleasant behavior, but his strength was much appreciated. Deep down, Robin new that the abilities of the fish-man would be necessary down the line if the crew wanted to lead Luffy to the One Piece. The second he asked the woman to free the human slaves of the pirates they were facing; Robin didn’t hesitate to fulfill his request. Seeing those captive people struck something in Jinbe that Robin immediately picked up on; so, she took care of it, so he wouldn’t have to.

Robin was looking forward to sharing more experience with Jinbe now that he had returned to the crew. As the fish-man called out to the samurai and pirates in Onigashima, introducing himself as the newest member of the Straw Hat Pirates, Robin grinned so brightly that her cheeks were sore afterwards.

He was a welcome addition to the crew ever since he first came into contact with them back in Fish-Man island.

Jinbe was yet another treasure for Robin to cherish.

-

When Jinbe set foot on the Thousand Sunny, instantly getting surrounded by the Straw Hat Pirates and their Wano allies, Jinbe never felt more at home.

He loved Luffy like family, of course, and he was looking forward to building similar relationships with the rest of the crew.

In particular, he took notice of the two more-mature members of the crew: Robin and Franky.

Overall, the crew was extremely youthful, something Jinbe would have to get used to. Most of the members were just recently teenagers, so having at least a few more adult-members to rely on was at least a little comforting for the fish-man.

Jinbe greatly admired Franky as a man. He was bold, he was confident, and he built one of the most beautiful ships that Jinbe had ever laid eyes on. He was an interesting man and Jinbe was looking forward to bonding with him like brothers. When Jinbe fought alongside the Straw Hat’s against the new Fish-Man Pirates, Jinbe was actually quite amazed from the various tools Franky had in his arsenal. Jinbe could tell that Franky took pride in every machine and every weapon that he built.

Additionally, Jinbe respected Franky due to his relationship with Tom the shipwright. Jinbe had never met the fish-man personally, but his legacy as the man who built the ship of the former pirate king was something that Jinbe had been fascinated by. Knowing that this legendary figure was a mentor to Franky instantly led Jinbe to understand just how incredible of a shipwright Franky would actually be.

Similarly, Jinbe was excited to befriend Nico Robin.

The woman was an enigma, to say the least, but Jinbe was always one to appreciate complex individuals, as they were always the most exciting to get to know.

Where Franky was mature due to his older age, Robin was mature simply because she radiated an aura of reliability and wisdom. She was the woman who read the Poneglyphs and lead the Straw Hat Pirates into glory, and Jinbe was prepared to help her every step of the way.

Alongside her undeniable intelligence, Jinbe also admiration for Robin due to just how much destruction she could reap across a battlefield.

She was docile at heart, choosing to let her crew mates due the rough work, but Jinbe wasn’t blind to the strength behind that woman’s hands. After years of sailing with the Sun Pirates, never before had he seen such an incredible devil fruit ability.

Jinbe was looking forward to going into battle with that power by his side.

Overall, Nico Robin and Franky were two individuals who Jinbe had a lot to learn about. They would go through victories together, and they would surely go through defeats, but no matter what, he would be by their side.

As Jinbe gave a welcoming smile to the two while they sailed to Onigashima, he decided from this moment on, he would protect the two with his life.

After all, they were a crew now.


	7. Weird and Stowaway

* * *

_WEIRD_

* * *

As Franky and Robin sat outside of Kyros’s hut, Luffy, Usopp, and their various allies from the battle of Dressrosa were sound asleep; still recovering from the long battle with the Donquixote Pirates. The night air was cool and crisp, a gentle breeze shook the flowers that decorated the endless field.

“So, that Bellamy guy…” Franky spoke up, “You’ve met him before?”

“Personally? I haven’t.” Robin replied as her fingers ran circles through the daisies surrounding her. “But Luffy, Zoro, and Nami did. They had an encounter with him two years ago.”

Franky hummed in understanding.

Suddenly, as if overhearing his name, Zoro stepped outside from the cabin, a sake bottle in his hand.

“Damn it, we’re running low on booze…” The swordsman groaned as he wandered outside.

“Going for a late-night drink run?” Robin teased with a gentle smile.

Zoro plopped himself on the ground between them, taking a final swig of his drink.

“Nah. I just need some fresh air. And Luffy’s snoring is starting to piss me off."

Franky laughed, “He’s been knocked out for a while now! Never seen him sleep so long.”

Zoro rolled his eyes. “He could sleep for a year if you let him… anyway, what are you two doing out here?”

“Same as you. Enjoying the air…” Robin responded with a soft smile.

“Ooh… hope I’m not interrupting something.” Zoro teased. The swordsman is usually never one to poke fun at others, so the statement stunned Robin for a moment.

Whether Franky didn’t pick up on the insinuation or chose not to acknowledge it, the cyborg grinned widely. “Feel free to hang with us brother! We’re just chatting!”

“Chatting?”

“Yes. Just about the allies we’ve been making recently.” Robin plucked a flower from the ground, smelling it. “To think we would end up becoming allies with Bellamy, the man who harassed you all back in Mock Town. It’s quite funny, when you think of it. The circumstances we find ourselves in always involve us making the strangest friends.”

“You can thank Luffy for that.” Zoro mumbled, folding his arms.

“That’s true.” Robin giggled. “Whether you like it or not, when Luffy decides you’re on his team, you get no say in the matter.”

“Believe me, I know.” Zoro and Franky replied simultaneously.

The trio laughed together for a brief moment. Despite Zoro’s normally stoic behavior, he could still humor himself along with the rest of the crew. In particular, it was actually sometimes easier to amuse himself when in the company of Robin and Franky. Even if they weren’t normally a comedic duo like the rest of the crew, Zoro actually found it easy to relax around the two and let his guard down.

“Speaking of teams…” Franky said after a moment, “I wonder how the rest of the crew is doing right now. I hope they got away from the Big Mom Pirates alright.” Franky was also obviously worried about the Thousand Sunny. He was hoping his ship didn’t suffer any damages from the attack.

“They’re fine.” Zoro stated matter-of-factly. “Nami can navigate that ship to the end of the world if she needed to. And the Idiot-Cook is there too, he can handle things for the time being.”

Franky nodded, fully agreeing that Nami, Sanji, Brook, and Chopper were fully capable of protecting themselves. Regardless, he was still looking forward to reuniting with them.

The trio sat in silence for a moment. At some point or another, Robin had collected a decent sized pile of plucked flowers on her lap. Her hands brushed over the ground around her, occasionally plucking particularly attractive flowers. Zoro watched as Robin scooped these flowers into her hands and suddenly stood up. She walked over to Franky and knelt down beside him.

“Franky, can you braid these into my hair?”

Franky raised an eyebrow at the woman, but immediately gave her a thumbs up and replied with a “SUPER no problem!”. He scooted to sit behind her as she brushed her long, dark hair behind her shoulders.

Zoro watched with a perplexed frown as Franky immediately braided flower stems into strands of her hair. Zoro could never begin to understand the two. They were weird, that was for sure, but a different kind of weird. Where Luffy and Usopp were weird because they were excessive about every action they made, Robin and Franky were weird because of these little quirks that they shamelessly performed. Only Robin would get the sudden idea to have her hair decorated with flowers; and only Franky would help her with this without hesitation.

“You two are strange.” Zoro yawned. He laid down flat on his back, throwing his hands behind his head and closing his eyes.

Robin just chuckled softly, while Franky beamed and thanked Zoro for the compliment.

Zoro fell asleep in the flower field with the company of the two weirdos that were his family.

* * *

_STOWAWAY_

* * *

“Hey Robin. If I was a caterpillar, would you still love me?”

As Robin watered her daffodils, she gave a bewildered look to the cyborg crouched down next to her.

On his metal finger, a small, yellow caterpillar rested silently.

“Believe it or not, that’s not something I’ve thought about much before. I need to think on that.” She laughed with a quick shake of her head.

Robin worked diligently on her garden. The mulch was in need of replacement and there were wilting stems that needed to be snipped. The entire time she worked, Franky occupied himself by befriending the larva crawling up his hand. He watched with careful eyes as the fragile insect munched on a leaf that Franky stole from Robin’s pile of plucked plants. The cyborg, clearly aware that a simple twitch could throw off the frail insect, didn’t move an inch; the gentle grin tugging at his face was a clear indicator he was enjoying the company of the little friend.

It was cute, Robin thought to herself.

It wasn’t everyday Franky would become fascinated with something not made of machinery, especially if said thing was only two inches in length. Not even Luffy would be as interested in the caterpillar as long as Franky was. Perhaps it was the unusual circumstances of the caterpillar that sparked Franky’s interest? After all, how many bugs like this one could claim they successfully stowed away on the ship of the future Pirate King?

Not many. Robin knew that for certain.

Or maybe, it was just the fact that the bug was comfortable enough with the cyborg to crawl on his hand which made Franky so bewitched with it. Robin supposed the reason for Franky’s captivation didn’t _really_ matter; it was just cute to think about.

Robin sprinkled a pinch of fertilizer into the flower bed. “To answer your question, Franky. Yes, I would still love you if you were a caterpillar.”

“Cool! Thanks!” Franky glanced over at the woman and gave her a quick smirk.

Robin raised an eyebrow to herself as she dug her fingers through the soil; covering up the stems of the flowers.

She questioned what made Franky ask such a strange question. _If I was a caterpillar, would you still love me?_ One would think such an absurd thought could only come out of the childish imagination of Luffy or Chopper; not Franky.

By now, the caterpillar had finished taking bites out of its leafy meal. Franky pressed his finger into the soil and let the bug crawl into Robin’s garden. Since it just ate, they didn’t need to worry about it having an appetite for the petals on the flowers.

Robin smiled to herself; suddenly struck with a thought.

In some ways, Franky was similar to a caterpillar. Or, well, he _used_ to be similar to a caterpillar.

Like how a caterpillar evolves into a butterfly, Franky evolved from a human to a cyborg. The more Robin thought about it, the more fascinated she was by her little connection. Where most animals develop mutations through decades of genetic heritage, a caterpillar develops its dramatic changing on its own. Similarly, Franky transformed by himself. He went from a mere human to a fully-grown cyborg all through his own willpower. The pupation process of a caterpillar bore striking similarities to the self-surgery Franky performed on himself.

When Robin told Franky they should keep the little bug around to watch its transformation, Franky immediately agreed.

-

Sure enough, two weeks later, the little caterpillar built itself a cocoon to prepare for its development.

When Franky noticed the caterpillar was preparing a chrysalis, he worked quickly to build it a shelter. He knew that simple caterpillar cocoons would never survive the weather of the New World on their own, so Franky designed a small, wooden enclosure which he hung out on the main deck. It was just big enough to fit the caterpillar’s metamorphosis, with a small sliding door to give it security against harsh rain or Luffy’s curiosity. There were small windows made of protective, see-through clothe, so the crew could have a clear visual inside to see how the cocoon was growing. Chopper was especially invested in watching the change unfold. Caterpillars could never survive in the cold weather of Drum Island, so he had never gotten to see something like this before. He periodically checked on the enclosure every day to take notes on what he saw inside. As for most other members of the crew, they could care less about the bug. It’s not like it took up much room on their ship, so they just let Franky’s little elementary school experiment slide for now.

It was around midday when the insect hatched from its cocoon. Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper sat around the shelter, excitedly chatting amongst themselves. Usopp had more knowledge on insects than Franky, so he had already planned out a proper diet for the bug so that it could live a long, healthy life. Chopper laid out a pen and paper in front of him, determined to capture every action the insect takes so he can update his records. Luffy wasn’t entirely sure what was going on, but regardless, he was excited to welcome a new, temporary crew mate onboard.

From directly behind them, Franky sat with Robin leaning against his arm. He was proud of his new little friend, and plenty excited to see its transformation. Robin was partially interested in watching the bug break out of its cocoon, but more so excited to see the amazed reactions of the boys.

_Scratch. Scratch. Scratch. Scratch._

“It’s starting! It’s starting!” Chopper cheered, jumping up to press his nose against the bug’s enclosure.

“Ooooh! C’mon little buggy! I want to see your pretty wings!” Luffy cooed beside the reindeer.

The boys gasped in awe as a small, black appendage pushed itself out of the side of the cocoon. Immediately after, another limb broke out from the opposite side. The boys cheered and clapped excitedly as the adults behind them smiled to each other.

Finally, the insect fully busted out of the cocoon, beating its wings and fluttering around the cage.

It was a moth.

A particularly ugly moth at that.

“Yuck!” Luffy croaked, sticking out his tongue. “It’s wing’s SUCK! They’re gross and brown! Where are the pretty blue and purple colors you promised, Usopp? You LIAR!”

“I could have sworn it would turn into a butterfly!” Usopp replied. He turned his body to glare at Franky, “If anything, it’s YOUR fault, Franky! You got us all excited just to let us down with a lame moth!”

“Hey! How was I supposed to know?” Franky retorted stubbornly. “Besides, who cares if it ain't pretty? It still made wings all by itself! That’s SUPER impressive.”

Chopper, who was too busy writing down notes to listen, suddenly perked up with stars in his eyes, They're so big now! I can’t believe this is the same caterpillar from last week!”

Luffy stood up disappointedly, “It was fine… but I’m over it now. I’m gonna go get something to eat! Bye!” With a turn of his heels, he raced off to go bug Sanji in the kitchen. Usopp also got up with a heavy sigh. He immediately lost interest in watching the moth know that he knew it wasn't a beautiful butterfly.

Franky leaned his head in to take a closer look at the moth. It was hanging on the remains of its cocoon; curious as to where it could find some food.

“I guess it is kinda gross lookin’…” Franky said with a sigh.

Robin placed a hand on the cyborg’s shoulder. “Are you disappointed?”

Franky thought for a second as he stared at the insect, before glancing over at the little reindeer on the ground beside him, scribbling a cartoonish picture of the moth flying around a bunch of stick figures who resembled the crew.

“Heh... no. How could I ever be disappointed?"

-

A few days later, the crew sailed past an island. It was a decent sized island, filled with a lush forest. Franky figured here would be a much better environment for little moth; instead of staying trapped inside a tiny cage on a pirate ship. Chopper was a little disappointed when Franky said they would have to release the bug, but he understood why; it would be much happier on the island then on the ship.

As the crew anchored the ship by the shore of the island, Chopper, Robin, and Franky stood on the deck, looking out towards the forest. Chopper clutched the cage in his hooves.

“It feels like just yesterday when we first found him.” Robin smiled sadly.

Franky nodded, clearly wanting to cry but not wanting to depart with the moth on such a sad note. “I’ll miss em’! Hopefully it finds a nice moth partner somewhere in that forest to live a nice life with.”

Chopper sniffled back a tear before unlatching the cage and setting it against the railing of the ship. Almost immediately, the moth flew out of its enclosure. At first, it fluttered around the deck, curious as to where to go. Eventually, it seemed to detect an attractive odor of sorts from the island. Quick as a flash, it flew into the forest, disappearing under the shadows of the trees.

“Take care! Moth-san!” Chopper called out as a tear rolled down his face.

Franky grinned, patting the reindeer’s head affectionately. “Our little buddies got its own adventure to have now. We have to make them proud and do the same!”

Robin leaned against the railing, smiling softly as the two waved their goodbyes to the temporary stowaway of the Straw Hat Pirates.


	8. Name, Love, and Adventure

* * *

_NAME_

* * *

Robin looked up upon hearing Chopper enter through the infirmary door. Franky, who was knelt down beside her, also turned his head as the doctor walked into the room. He carried a clipboard in his hands.

“I’ve finished the survey.” He announced, hopping up to take a seat on his swivel chair. “Now that everyone has had a chance to meet him, we all came up with a name for him.”

Robin smiled softly. She was still very tired after giving labor to her son.

The infant in question whimpered softly as his mother cradled him in her lap. Chopper had just finished cleaning him and running basic diagnostics to make sure there weren’t any issues with his birth, so the baby finally had time to relax. The warmth of his mother lulled him into sleep almost immediately.

Franky had already gone through three tissue boxes, and plenty more were stocked in the corner in case he continued to sob upon finally earning his fatherhood.

“W-Well…” Franky sobbed in between his tears, “What did they all suggest for his name?”

Chopper propped up his clipboard to take a look.

“Luffy thinks we should name him ‘MEAT’.”

“No.” Robin replied immediately.

“Okay.” Chopper cleared his throat. “Jinbei considered naming him ‘Tommy’ or ‘Thomas’, After your mentor, Franky.”

Franky sneezed into his tissue and began crying harder, likely indicating he liked the suggestion.

“Let’s see here…. Nami came up with ‘Sunny Jr.’ and Usopp decided on ‘Usopp Jr.”

Robin and Franky listened patiently as Chopper went through the rest of the list. Every crew member, except for Luffy, came up with a name that was a definite potential candidate for what to name the child. Franky and Robin hadn’t discussed a name during the pregnancy, and their minds were far too much a clutter to come up with something now that the child was born. Chopper finished reciting the list by suggesting naming him ‘Edward’, after one of the greatest pirates who ever sailed the Grand Line: Edward Newgate; Also known as Whitebeard.

After a moment of contemplation, Robin looked up at her husband.

“I’m not sure, Franky.” She sighed. “I can’t decide.”

“Me neither.” He agreed, gently caressing the infant’s head. The cyborg’s hand alone was the size of his son’s entire body.

“You don’t need to decide now!” Chopper spoke up. “Robin, I’ll let you rest now, but I’d like to run another test to make sure YOU didn’t suffer any issues from the delivery.”

“Of course, thank you Chopper.” Robin smiled sweetly as Franky picked up the child to cradle him.

“D-Don’t thank me! Helping you doesn’t make me feel good or anything, you goof ball!"

Franky took a seat against a chair against the wall as he smiled down at his son. Of course, Franky was nervous about touching the fragile child at first, but the second he felt the warmth of the baby against his cold, metal chest, the cyborg almost instantly fell in love.

“Yeah, we’ll worry about naming you later, little bro.” Franky placed a kiss on the baby’s forehead.

“We got to get to know you first before naming you.”

-

It took two months of the child being born before a name was finally decided on.

It happened on a regular day out at sea. While the rest of crew went out to explore the island they docked at, Robin and Franky remained on the ship. Robin was put on a pretty strict schedule to make sure she didn’t overexert herself. Chopper forbade her from creating more than ten limbs at a time, and she wasn’t allowed to leave the ship unless in an emergency. Robin didn’t have any complaints, she could give up exploring the next island or two if it meant taking care of her baby. Of course, Franky had no objections to staying on the ship with her.

Temporarily, the crew referred to the child as ‘Number Eleven’, as he was the eleventh member of the Straw Hat Pirates after Jinbei. Zoro actually quite liked the name and claimed he would call the kid ‘Eleven’ even after a name had been finalized.

As Robin sat on the deck, sipping on some much-needed coffee, Franky rocked the child in his arms.

“You just had your milk, buddy.” Franky whined as he gently rocked the child. “What are you crying about now?”

“He could be tired.” Robin suggested, “Maybe bring him inside. The sunlight could be irritating his eyes.”

“Hmm, you think so? He was asleep all day today though…”

“Baby’s need sleep, Franky.”

The sobbing child reached his tiny arms into the air, grasping for something he clearly wasn’t receiving.

Franky groaned and took a seat beside his wife as he gently rocked the baby. The second he sat down; the baby’s crying turned from a distressed wail into a pleading beg. He turned his head sideways and squeezed the space between him and Robin.

“Oh, I see.” Franky grinned. “You were just wondering where mom was.”

The baby responded by laughing.

Robin stiffened, and her eyes shot wide open. Almost as if struck by lightning, she took the child from Franky and gently cradled his head with her hand.

The baby continued to laugh. A hand reached out to grab at the cyborg. Franky extended an iron finger to his child to make sure it was comforted by the touch of both mother and father.

“Was that his first laugh!?” Franky grinned excitedly.

Robin didn’t respond, she just stared at the child as it laughed and beamed brightly up to his parents with its adorable little smile.

Robin had decided on the name for the child.

Upon telling Franky the name, he agreed immediately.

The child earned his name because of his laugh.

_“You might be alone now, but someday, you’ll find nakama for sure!”_

The child had a laugh that lit up the world. It was an innocent laugh; a laugh that knew nothing except for the eleven giants who surrounded him and constantly filled him with love (Chopper wasn’t always a giant to the baby, but the point still stands).

The child had a smile that was too big for his head, but it made it all the more endearing to watch it giggle in pleasure upon being able to see both its mother and father at the same time.

_“No one is born in this world to be completely alone!”_

“Dereshishishishishi!” laughed the child.

The child earn his name from the laugh that reminded Robin of the man who lit up her past. Now, every time the child laughs, it would light up Robin’s future.

His name was Nico Saul: The Eleventh Member of the Straw Hat Pirates.

* * *

_LOVE_

* * *

A woman sat alone at a bar. She was beautiful. Her long, dark hair fell down her back as a single strand came loose from over her ear. She hummed quietly to herself as she sipped on the wine glass in her hand.

She felt the eyes of many customers staring her down from the tables behind her. She would feel embarrassed if she wasn't used to the attention.

Suddenly, a man walked into the bar. He was handsome, but in an exotic sort of way. He was tall, had a strong chin, tanned skin. The sunglasses over his eyes gave him an aura of mystery, but his light blue hair and tropical shirt made him look rather silly.

The man confidently strolled up to the bar, taking a seat beside the woman and ordering a bottle of cola.

“What’s a gorgeous woman like you doing out in these parts?”

The woman smiled coolly, she glanced casually at the man eyeing her down.

“Business trip.”

The man smirked, leaning his elbow against the bar.

“Business eh? Nothing dangerous I hope?”

“Not this time.” She replied with indifference. “But even if it was, I can take care of myself.”  
  


The bartender gave the man a glass of cola. He took a large chug before sliding the bottle to his right; in front of the woman.

A few patrons sat at tables behind them, eyeing the duo curiously.

“Ever have a nice, cool glass of cola before?” The man asked, a gruff tone in his voice.

She eyed the drink curiously, “Yes, but It’s been quite some time.”

The man leaned his head in close to her ear, grinning mischievously.

“Take a sip. It’s on me.”  
  


The woman raised an eyebrow at the man and smiled. With one slender pair of fingers, she lifted the bottled up to her mouth and pressed her lips against the cool top. The man watched carefully as the woman took a decent sized sip of the cola and swallowed it down.

She sighed with satisfaction, sliding the bottle back to the man. “Refreshing.” She smiled.

“ _Super_ refreshing…” The man cooed.

Suddenly, the doors to the bar were slammed open with a mighty kick. An orange haired woman stood at the entrance, a pissed off scowl on her face.

“ROBIN! FRANKY! HOW MANY TIMES TO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TWO TO QUIT PLAYING CUTE!? HURRY UP AND GET BACK TO THE SUNNY!”

The woman groaned something about stupid lovebirds as the man and woman at the bar smiled at each other.

“I could use a hand with these guys.” The man gestured to the other patrons in the bar as he offered a hand to help the woman off of her seat.

“With pleasure.” The woman closed her eyes and crossed her hands over her chest.

The other patrons of the bar, who were marines in disguise, were suddenly constricted to their chairs by hands that sprouted out of the floor and tables to grapple them in place.

The man at the bar grinned and took a step forward. He leaned back his right arm and then swung it forward. His metal hand extended out of his arm by a chain, swinging in a large arc to swiftly knock out the defenseless marines in front of him. His arm carried chairs and tables along with him to catch the entire Marine Squad in one fell swoop.

As the group of marines were collectively knocked into the wall, instantly becoming unconscious, the man and woman smiled at each other.

“Thanks for picking me up.” Robin winked.

“No problem!” Franky replied. “Never forget I’m your bodyguard.”

“I love you, Franky.” Robin laughed.

“Love you too!”

The two walked out of the bar, hand in hand, as the bartender groaned into his palm.

He had a lot of cleaning up to do.

* * *

_ADVENTURE_

* * *

A boy stood on the dock of an island, looking out to the endless sea before him with a huge grin on his face. His light blue hair was tussled by the sea breeze as he threw a bag into a sailboat. Said boat was connected to the dock by rope.

The boy was somewhere between sixteen and eighteen years old. His light blue hair was slicked back in a stylish but messy fashion. He had a mature looking face. His brown eyes and a long, defined nose made him look a few years older than he actually was. He had relatively pale skin, and was fairly tall.

The boy was going on an adventure.

He reached into the pocket of his tropical shirt to pull out a map. It was a fresh, recently painted map that marked his home island and some other nearby islands. In the right-hand corner, a tangerine symbol and a signature indicated the identity of the cartographer who drew this map. There were plenty more maps stored in one of the bags in his boat; he was fairly certain that laying them all out together created a map of the entire world. Regardless of such a daunting fact; all of these maps were drawn by one woman.

That’s what the boy’s mother told him; anyway.

“Saul! Hold up!”

The boy turned his head around to see his mother walking down the beach towards him. His father followed behind with his baby sister: Nico Merry.

The boy’s mother was Nico Robin: the archeologist of the Straw Hat Pirates. She held a small stack of books in her arms.

“You forgot these.” She said as she walked up to her son. Saul thought his mother was pretty. Wrinkles formed on her brow, and her hair was slowly starting to gray; but her face still held the same gentleness he always remembered.

“Ugh… I don’t want these.”

Robin placed the books in the boy’s hands. “Just because you’re going out to sea doesn’t mean you get to shrink out of your History research.”

“Do I have too?” The boy whined. “I prefer building stuff WAY more than reading books.”

“Lesson One, little man.” His father replied as he caught up to his wife’s side.

“History is the most important thing you can know. Never forget that.”

The boy’s father was Franky: the shipwright of the Straw Hat Pirates. Saul's sister sat on his shoulder, holding onto the side of the man’s head.

The boy sighed outwardly; but knew better than to get into it with his parents. They were a bunch of stubborn old weirdos. Even then, he had no choice but to respect their advice.

“Well, I’m going to head out before it gets dark.” Saul said after a moment.

“Okay, dear.” Robin sighed. “You’ll have plenty of food, but you should make it to the next island before it gets dark. Did you check your Log Pose to make sure you’re on track?”

“Yes ma’am!” Saul saluted; sticking out his tongue.

“That’s my boy.” Robin smiled, kissing her son’s cheek.

“Have fun out there, kiddo.” Franky beamed, clapping his son on the back. “If you join any pirate crews or anything, let us know first! I’d rather hear it from you then by seeing your face in the paper!”

The boy snorted, “I don’t plan on joining crews. I just want to sail.”

The boy had a dream. It was a simple dream, but it was a dream that drove him until forward until he was old enough to actually set out and accomplish it.

He wanted to see the world.

He’s heard stories, mostly from his parents, but from many other individuals who came to visit. Saul didn’t recognize them, but they claimed to be his family. These people told him stories about the world. They told him about islands much larger and more exciting than his own, and they told him about the adventures they had together as a crew.

All of these people visited him to tell him stories, so now it was his turn. He was excited to see all of them. Even the man with the green hair who kept calling him 'Eleven' for some strange reason.

Nico Saul planned to visit all of his family, stretched out far across the world. He knew at some point he would need something better than a sailboat to accomplish that, but getting a better ship was something to worry about later.

The boy hopped into his sailboat with a huge shout of “Dereshishishishi".

He was hoping to reach his first island by nightfall.

The first stop on his journey would be towards the raven-haired man with the scar under his eye.

Saul liked that man; he was fun.

The young man took a dagger from his pocket and cut the rope that tied his boat against the dock. He gave a quick kick to send him out into the water. He turned his head, seeing his parents and his sister waving to him. His dad was bawling, but Saul could have sworn he saw a small tear drop roll down his mother’s face.

“See you guys later!” He called out with a huge smile on his face.

Nico Robin and Franky continued to wave until they couldn’t see him anymore.

The two stood there for a moment, side by side. Nico Merry yawned and rested against the top of her father’s head. Her black hair was starting to get pretty long, she would need a haircut soon.

Franky look down at the woman beside him, smiling happily.

“He’s going to have a blast! I’m so excited for him!”

Robin let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She wrapped an arm around Franky’s and nodded in agreement.

“I can’t wait to hear about his adventure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the time being, I am going to consider this story complete. 
> 
> I really don't have any more prompts I want to write about, and I am preparing to move into a new apartment soon so the next few months are going to be pretty busy for me! I might add new stories one day, but they will likely be few and far between. If you are someone who has been keeping up with this story, I hope you understand! 
> 
> Thank you for reading. I never would have expected to get as much feedback as I did for this story.


	9. Laundry and Festival

* * *

_LAUNDRY_

* * *

According to Franky, the best medicine in the world is the sun.

The light of the sun, Franky would argue, is powerful enough to heal everything. Ever since he was little, he understood the hidden potential that sunlight had on this world.

Chopper, being the knowledgeable doctor that he is, would reprimand the cyborg for spreading such a false claim. While the sun was healthy for living creatures, it could also be harmful when exposed to it for too long. But like a wall of iron, Franky would protect his belief about the sun until he breathed his last breath.

It’s for this reason that Franky never installed a clothes dryer in the Thousand Sunny.

No, the power of the sun was more than enough to heal the wet clothes they finished washing.

  
  
The crew lived on a ship called The Thousand _Sunny._ Surely they could let the sun help them with at least one of their chores.

Franky hung one of Sanji’s button ups on one of the clotheslines stretched across the deck of the ship. There was a slight overcast in the sky, but the sun would still be bright enough to dry their laundry.

“Franky, is there room on your side?” Robin called to the cyborg from across the deck, “I have a few more shirts to hang up but I’m out of room on my side.”

“There’s plenty of room! Come on over!” Replied Franky.

Since there were ten crewmembers aboard who all had their own laundry that needing cleaned, a large portion of the deck was currently taken up by clotheslines. This proved troublesome for Luffy, who now had less room to play. Washing laundry was necessary though.

It was especially necessary for pirates like the Straw Hats; clothes were ruined every day in this crew.

On either side of the ship, next to the rails, clotheslines stretched from the front of the ship to the back. There was also two lines closer to the center of the deck that were full of dampened shirts and pants.

Robin joined Franky by the eastern side of the ship where there was some extra space. It was a tight fit to find room for everyone’s laundry.

Robin pinned one of Nami’s sweaters to the line, “Did Sanji ever mention what we’re having for dinner tonight?”

“I saw him go into the aquarium with a cart earlier, so probably fish.” Franky replied.

“Ah.” Robin nodded her head. Seafood was a common meal option on the ship. It made sense, considering they could fish their meals out of the ocean instead of having to buy ingredients at an island.

Franky stole a pair of shorts from Robin’s pile to hang up. It was a pair of Luffy’s signature jean shorts.

“Heh, I’m surprised the stain came out of these!” The cyborg snickered aloud.

A few nights ago, Luffy had stolen a large tub of pudding from the fridge as a midnight snack. Unfortunately for the rubber boy, the cap wasn’t screwed on all the way, so most of the sugary treat ended up going on his pants instead of in his belly. Franky had assumed these shorts would be done for, but apparently they were washed just in time to save them from permanent stains.

Franky turned to show Robin the cleaned shorts when he noticed she was stiff as a board. In her hands was a mustard-colored shirt.

It was Usopp’s.

The blood stains were still visible on it.

Robin stared down at the shirt with a dark expression; only snapping out of it when she felt the touch of a metal hand on her arm.

“You can go check on him if you want,” Franky murmured in a low voice, “Leave the rest of your pile to me.”

Robin looked up at the cyborg. How he was able to read her thoughts would forever be a mystery to the woman. She took a deep breath before handing the shirt to Franky.

“Yes... I think I will do that.”

Robin gave the cyborg’s arm a quick squeeze of thanks before stepping away to go pay a visit to the infirmary.

_It’s already been three days_ , Robin told herself, _Chopper already assured all of us that he would live._

But that wound looked so bad. It looked so deep and it was so big and –

_Stop._ Robin mentally scolded herself.

He was fine. Everyone was fine. Things like this happened when you lived the life of a pirate.

Robin knocked on the door of the infirmary before letting herself in.

She walked in to find her sniper propped up on the bed, reading a book about plants.

“Robin!” Usopp exclaimed upon seeing the women enter, “What’s up?”

She smiled softly at the boy, “Just checking up on you...”

“Ah – I’m good!” Usopp chuckled awkwardly, “Chopper wants me to rest more before he’ll let me join you guys for dinner tonight.”

“Good.” The woman nodded her head, “Does it still hurt?”

“Nah, but I think it’s going to leave a scar. Look.”

Usopp shifted upright and lifted up the right side of his shirt, revealing a long cut that went from the base of his hip bone all the way up to his collarbone.

_But that wound looked so bad. It looked so deep and it was so big and –_

Robin shook her head gently to remove the negative thoughts from her mind.

“W-Well...” She cleared her throat, “It’s nice to know you are in good spirits.”

Usopp frowned, he leaned over to gently grab Robin’s arm.

“Robin... I’m good! I know I was freaking out and saying I was going to die in the moment – but I’m good! I just can’t wait to get out of this stupid room already! I miss being outside.”

The woman took a moment before responding.

She was beginning to notice a change in her little sniper.

He wasn’t so... _little_ anymore.

He was older now.

They all were. Luffy... Zoro... Nami... Sanji... Chopper...

They’ve all changed since she first met them. They’ve all grown up and Robin didn’t even have time to sit back and realize her little crewmates were adults now.

“You know, I bet I can convince Chopper to let you go a little early.” Robin said with a gentle smirk, “I know a man who claims the sun is the best medicine ever. How could our doctor ever say no to letting you get some sunlight on that new scar of yours?”

* * *

_FESTIVAL_

* * *

There was something about festivals that fascinated Robin.

Was it the food stands that smelled of processed hot dogs and salty popcorn?

Or was it the sound of children as they ran through the crowds, bumping into the legs of adults and having too much fun to apologize for it?

Perhaps it was the fireworks? Everyone knew that any good festival HAD to have a fireworks display.

Whatever it was, the usually secluded Robin had an unusual appreciation for crowded; noisy fireworks.

So when the Straw Hat Pirates landed on an island notorious for their weekly festivals, Robin felt her excitement grow rapidly.

As the crew chatted excitedly amongst themselves on the deck of the ship, Robin stared out at the island they were docked at. The island was relatively small, likely just a few miles in diameter; it had a long harbor that stretched wide enough for several pirate ships and fisherman’s boats to be docked with room to spare. Beyond the beach immediately stood a bustling public square. The cloudy night sky was lit up by a colorful array of searchlights and colorful lampposts. Every building was decorated with hanging flags that stretched all over the town. You could barely see into the depths of the festival because of all of the bodies packed together.

“Okay everyone!” Nami yelled down to her crew from the Sunny’s top deck, “We’re setting sail tomorrow at nine in the morning – not a minute after.”

She had to speak extra loudly due to the festival-noises emanating from the island. Even though the Sunny was by the docks – on the edge of the island – the sights and sounds of the party were hard to miss.

The crew was dressed in their best party clothes. The boys wore an array of colorful vests while Nami and Robin wore red and black kimonos respectively. Nami had already distributed some gold coins for everyone to spend – she was hoping they wouldn’t waste it all in the first ten minutes, but she was doubtful that _certain_ members of the crew would savor their spending money.

Nami continued quickly; knowing that she would lose Luffy and Usopp any minute now, “If you’re not on the ship tomorrow morning, we’re leaving you behind!”

With that, the crew dispersed. Luffy and Usopp dashed off to play carnival games with Chopper following close behind. Sanji also raced off of the ship – cheering excitably about all of the beautiful ladies he was excited to meet.

Zoro hopped off the ship to find some bar he could drink at. He would surely get lost right away - but that was a problem for later.

Jinbe rested his hands on the Sunny’s railing – a frown was placed on his face.

“Yo! My best fishman-bro!” Yelled Franky as he approached the helmsman, “What’s with the sour look? We’ve got a PARTY to enjoy!”

“Yes... the festival does look fun.” Jinbe nodded, “But don’t you think we’re letting our guard down right now? It’s not above the Marines to crash a festival in order to capture some pirates – especially pirates as notorious as us.”

“Not to worry.” It was Robin who spoke, walking up beside the two, “I went into town earlier today to get some information about this festival. I found out the townspeople here are extremely friendly with pirates – as long as pirates are friendly to them. Not to mention...”

Robin pointed a finger to a tall flag post that sat at the end of the dock. The post had a jolly roger which depicted a skull with a red scar on the right eye and a pair of sabers behind it.

“This island is protected by the Red-Haired Pirates – they are the only Yonko crew who aren’t out to get us – not yet anyway.”

That was enough to relieve Jinbe. He knew Luffy and Red-Haired Shanks had a connection. He could rest easy knowing this island was one of few areas in the New World where the Straw Hats could let their guard down.

“Very well then. If you two will excuse me...” Jinbe started walking down the steps towards the dock, “It’s been a while since I’ve attended such a large festival. It’s about time I show you youngins’ how a seasoned pirate really parties!”

“Sounds SUPER my brother!”

“Yes. Enjoy yourself, Jinbe.”

With that, Jinbe fastened his kimono and peacefully walked into the crowd – already out of sight from the dock. The only two crewmembers left on the ship now were Robin and Franky. The rest of the crew had dispersed into small groups or by themselves to enjoy the festival. They would likely run into each other throughout the night – whether that be to cheer each other on in games or to get one another out of a fist fight.

Despite nobody being left to guard the Sunny – they didn’t need to worry about danger coming the Sunny’s way. The entire dock was being guarded by the island’s independent police force. This police force in particular wasn’t associated with the Marines. They didn’t care about pirates as long as they didn’t give them reason to.

“What shall we do first?” Robin asked as she took the cyborg’s massive elbow in her hands.

“You already know what I’m going to say! Let’s eat!”

-

And eat they did. Robin was never one to fill her stomach to the brim, but even the archeologist couldn’t help herself when it came to the enticing treats of the island festival. From salted pretzels to churros and funnel cakes with ice cream on top – Robin ate a healthy portion of junk food that day. The food was evidently processed and didn’t taste half as good as Sanji’s cooking, but she couldn’t resist given the atmosphere of the event. It was almost as if special oxygen was being pumped throughout the festival to make people more excitable and hungrier.

Robin and Franky took their time exploring the various attractions of the festival. From the ferris wheel to the rigged carnival games – there was something for everyone.

“I wonder what time it is.” Robin stated – reaching into her bag of popcorn to feed a piece to Franky.

“Close to midnight.” Franky replied through crunching teeth. He had installed an internal clock in himself a couple months ago so that he could always tell the time.

“Hmm – and yet the party shows no signs of stopping.” Robin looked out into the sea of people stretched before her. The partygoers looked just as energized as they were at the beginning. Even the young children showed no signs of sleepiness.

The pair found themselves walking through a circular garden area. Tall oak trees decorated with colorful lights stretched around a central plaza that held some benches and an impressive water fountain. Torrents of water erupted into the sky through the marble columns of the fountain. A stone slab was placed at the rim of the attraction – Robin walked up to read it.

_Donate a single coin to the fountain – tell it your wish so that it can protect it until the day it comes true._

“Ah – a wishing fountain. I’ve always wanted to try this.” Robin grinned as she pulled out a coin from her mini purse.

“Wow! We had these all over the place back in Water 7!” Beamed Franky, “I can’t tell you how much money I’ve wasted on these.”

Robin touched the coin to her lips, closed her eyes, and thought for a moment. Robin was very satisfied with the way her life was currently – but that wasn’t to say she still didn’t have plenty of wishes for the future.

She hoped to one day own a library – where she would write all of the books in it. The books would detail the history of the world – being as unbiased in its facts as possible to allow the reader to come to their own conclusion about the past.

But still – that wasn’t her _real_ dream.

Robin turned her back to the fountain.

“I wish to find the Rio Poneglyph.”

She threw the coin over her shoulder. It sunk into the fountain.

_PLOP._

“W-Woah there!” Franky stuttered, “You’re not supposed to share your wish out loud! It spoils the magic!”

“But what’s the fun in having a wish if you can’t share it with others?”

“Heh, good point! Well in that case...” Franky dug an iron hand into his pocket, pulling out his own gold coin. He too turned his back to the fountain and flipped the coin behind him.

“I wish for The Thousand Sunny to sail across the entire world!”

_PLOP._

And with that, their wishes were officially stored for safe keeping inside the fountain.

The duo approached the edge of the fountain to look inside the water. There were a few dozen other coins sprinkled throughout the bottom of the water. They would never be able to tell which of the coins were their own.

Franky put a hand on Robin’s waist and pulled her in – she responded by leaning her body against his.

The two shared a quiet moment together as the thrilling noises of the festival echoed behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been a while since I've updated this fic. Whether or not you're a returning reader or a new one, thanks for reading!
> 
> I want to continue writing for this story, but to be honest, I am running out of ideas. There is only so much you can do for this couple when 80% of your setting is on the ship.
> 
> Due to this, I might end up writing some AU short stories about this pairing. For example, putting Robin and Franky in a medieval setting or a gender-swap.
> 
> But I'm not sure how many people would be interested in this. If you could leave some feedback about whether or not you like the idea of new chapters featuring alternate universe Frobin stories - please leave a comment!
> 
> Thank you.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed! If you like what you read please feel free to leave a comment or kudos, I appreciate all feedback.


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